Take the Challenge to Be Fully Present During The Holidays
There are a plethora of celebrations from Thanksgiving through the new year that represent a myriad of cultural, religious, pagan, and ethnic holidays. With the hustle and bustle of this festive time of year in full swing, the stress and overwhelm are palpable.
If you are fortunate enough to get some down time over the next few weeks, I challenge you to be fully present and enjoy the experience with all your senses. Instead of exacerbating the stress that naturally comes during the “most wonderful time of the year” – consider how you can adjust your behavior and your mindset to be fully present and recharge. Ignite the power of your senses and savor the holidays with your full attention.
Beautiful Chaos
My husband and I travel to see my family every holiday season, driving 1400 miles round trip, which can be stressful with intense traffic and endless construction. I am excited to see my young nieces and nephews, my siblings, and my mom and I have clarity of expectations that some of the time we’ll experience what I call, beautiful chaos. With little ones, emotions can run high, tantrums happen (even for the adults), and sensory overload is common with a flurry of activity and households full of people. I love seeing my family and have tempered my expectations to know that we are all human and I am prepared to go with the flow and enjoy the imperfections we all have and the full gamut of emotions in the spirit of giving and receiving grace.
Undivided Attention
Time away from work is meant to provide the opportunity to rest and recharge. It’s not meant to simply be another location to do your work. I am committed to giving the gift of my undivided attention to my friends and family – to fully listen with my ears and my body language. Distractions are everywhere and it takes effort to retrain ourselves to be full present in conversations. Your undivided attention is truly a gift and might just be the best present you have to offer this holiday season. It’s a gift that I cherish as a recipient.
Take a Social Media Sabbatical
The addiction to social media has been studied and the data tells us that constantly comparing ourselves to others has a detrimental impact. This is especially dangerous for adolescents and young adults. From pictures of the perfect holiday gifts to the most stellar outfits, social media is setting us up for disappointment. Comparison is the thief of joy and I encourage you to take a break from social media to give yourself space to savor the moments without feeling that you must snap a picture on your smart phone and share it with the world. Social media will still be there after the holidays, and a brief sabbatical will allow you to enjoy your down time more fully.
Unplug From Technology
There have been many years that I was tethered to my smart phone, at-the-ready to respond to email and texts for work. In retrospect, none of those messages were urgent enough to require a response when I was on vacation. Give yourself permission to truly unplug from your devices and set a clear out office message to set boundaries, so you can enjoy your time away and recharge. If you are a leader of people, your behavior sets expectations for your direct reports, so be a good role model.There are many careers that require an “on call” status and an immediate response to messages. If you do not work in one of those industries, sever your technical umbilical cord from your devices and give your brain a chance to reboot. We actively recharge our devices every day and must honor our bodies and our minds with the same opportunity to reset and re-energize.
Play!
As a recovering workaholic, I have benefitted tremendously from making space in my life to play. My playtime ignites my creativity, lowers my stress, and lifts my mood, so the results are clear and enjoyable. Don’t overthink how you will play – keep it simple and do what comes naturally. From making snow angels to playing a board game or singing holiday carols – do something that allows you to have fun. We all need to dance with reckless abandon like nobody is watching and get our play on.
The countdown to a new year is only weeks away and my wish for you this holiday season is that you give yourself permission to be fully present while away from work. Enjoy your career – love your life!
