Retreat Into the Most Magical Season ⭐️
Hello and Welcome to December! It’s the time of the year when most of us are wide-eyed and left wondering, where did the year go?
Between jobs, chores, friends, and family commitments, bills, social life balance and so much more, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, isn’t it?
And if you aren’t the kind to take a day off every so often, you’re probably feeling tired and haggard by now.
We enter the winter season of quiet, rest, and introspection. It’s a good time to step back, slow down, and learn to put yourself first, even if it’s for a day.
Like Maya Angelou said, “Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.”
Need some ideas for slowing the pace that won't cost you a week’s worth of wages?
Here’s a few:
1. Do nothing as you savor your morning beverage - That’s right. Don’t attend to calls, or browse through your social media, and put away that newspaper. Instead, focus on the taste of your drink, the aroma, and how you feel as you sip slowly.
2. Shorten your ‘To-do’ list - If a chore or appointment can wait another day, then reschedule it. Prioritize your most important tasks and don’t fill your day with back-to-back activities. If nothing else, pace your day such that there’s ‘time off’ between tasks and you don’t feel rushed.
3. Stop aiming for perfection - Do you know what a dusty shelf, an unswept porch, and a pile of laundry have in common? They can wait. Instead, spend that time catching up with someone—a spouse, a child, a parent, a best friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
4. Stop and notice - Taking your child or spouse out for a meal or snack? Watch their eyes light up with joy and feel at peace when they smile. Don’t just go to the beach or the park and ‘get through’ your routine. Enjoy the breeze, the feel of the sand, the birds flying past. Be present to life's most precious moments.
5. Recharge your body & soul - What you eat dictates how you feel. Greasy, deep-fried, or other versions of stereotypical ‘comfort food’ only offer a moment’s worth of misplaced joy. Embrace a life full of ‘feel good’ days by feeding your body healthy alternatives to your typical go-to snacks.
Here’s hoping you’re on your way to a slow December with plenty of ‘stolen moments’ to savor!
Sending plenty of positivity your way,
Dr. Marissa Castello