How to deal with the feels this holiday season
“Acknowledge it.”
The holiday season is here, starting with this Thanksgiving weekend.
For some of us, the holiday season energizes us with gatherings, generosity, and gratitude.
For some of us, the holiday season brings up, even more acutely feelings of loss, loneliness, and longing.
And for most of us, the holiday season is a potent cocktail blend of all of the above.
So, we wanted to share some useful, practical, on-the-go mindfulness tips to help you navigate the emotional roller coaster of the holiday season so that...
you can be fully present with the people you love and care about
you can enjoy each other's presence
you honor and take care of yourself during the holiday season
Tip #1:
Hello
Thank You
Goodbye
This is a simple practice of acknowledgment.
Step 1: Acknowledge all of your experiences and feelings that come along with it.
When you're...
...feeling grateful and joyous to be with loved ones—“Hello joy”
...feeling frustrated with behaviors that irk you—“Hello frustration”
...feeling completely alone even when you're surrounded by people—“Hello loneliness”
...feeling sad missing someone who has passed or for a relationship lost—“Hello sadness”
When we try to resist the experiences we're already having, we cause ourselves undue suffering by avoiding, suppressing, or denying them.
What we resist, persists.
Step 2: Practice gratitude.
For the really stubborn experiences or emotions, you might sincerely say “Thank you” to them.
Adopt an attitude of gratitude, and notice how the experience/emotion shifts.
For example: Being grateful that you get to experience joy from the good company you keep. And also being grateful that you get to experience sadness from having lost people you love.
Step 3: Bidding them adieu.
One attendee at a recent workshop shared with us:
“I was very skeptical about this because I have a chronic headache that doesn't seem to ever go away. But I tried this. I acknowledged the pain, and I kept acknowledging it. At some point, I realized it taught me to be kind and to take care of myself. So, I said thank you. And then it was gone. I tried looking for the pain. But it was not there. So, I said goodbye!”
When emotions arise, all they're asking for is simply your attention.
When we can acknowledge them without holding on to them, making them wrong, or pushing them away, the emotions tend to flow through us.
E-motions. Think of them as Experiences that move through you.
They come and they go.
And on that note:
May your holidays be filled with joyous “Hello!”s
May the “Thank you”s you give and receive profoundly nourish you.
May each “Goodbye” bring you the closure you seek.
Thank you for being a part of the M community. Truly.
Because you showed up in our lives, we get to show up in yours to do the work we love.
Happy thanksgiving!
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We're here for you. If you ever need a warm hello, a 😊emoji, or some kind words to uplift your spirits this season, pop over here and say hi. We're here for you.