So often when planning for the holiday season we can get stressed. Whether dealing with family dynamics, planning to navigate holiday parties, or fitting in family time in busy holiday schedules. So I have put together a list of mindfulness tips to help reduce stress and bring a calming peace to your holiday season.
“Mindfulness” has become quite the buzzword in popular culture today. While we could argue that its vogue-like emergence is just another fashionable trend – embraced, paraded and glamorized by both health enthusiasts and socialites alike – I would suggest that what we are really seeing is something far more significant. I would also suggest that the practice of mindfulness itself actually has some very important implications for where our civilization is going.
Do you text while driving? Even though too many people still do, I hope in your heart you can answer no. I think enough awareness has been created to know that as drivers, it is so important that we put 100% of our attention and focus on the road. But what about when you’re eating? Do you text while at the table? Perhaps catching up on Instagram over lunch or mid-bite you’re reaching for the phone seconds after that *ding*? Or maybe you’re not texting but you are distracted in other ways… What has your attention?
We all talk about stress, but we are not always clear about what it is. This is because stress comes from both the good and the bad things that happen to us. If we did not feel any stress, we would not be alive! Stress becomes a problem when we are not sure how to handle an event or a situation. Then worry sets in, and we feel “stressed.”
Does your mind keep wandering? Do you find it hard to concentrate? Do you get easily stressed or confused? In all of these cases, you would benefit from becoming more mindful, more present in the moment. Combining the essence of spiritual practice with ideas from neuroscience and practical experience gained in the workplace serves to highlight the benefits of mindfulness.