December 2023 Newsletter

Christmas … a time of peace, joy and connection. REALLY?!

For many of us, this season can be stressful, chaotic and demanding! Staying centered, calm and connected can feel, at times, impossible.

There is the obvious hustle and bustle. Which can be as external as the grocery store or as internal as the last minute cleaning before guests arrive.

Then the not-so-obvious air of expectations. Whether that is wrestling with gift-giving, gift-getting, social graces, family traditions or internal standards.

Then the challenge of being together, being alone, or feeling alone while being together.

Heightened emotions, triggers, pressures and stressors – there are countless difficulties that can derail us.

When “losing myself” simmers beneath the surface, it can boil over in the form of me yelling at the children, being blunt with John, reacting in a not so tactful way, forgetting things, making mistakes or a breakdown in my body.

Rather than get frustrated and angry with myself, I’m making a game of it this year: The Reset Challenge. How often can I remember to tap into Self and hit the reset button? How consistently can I realign with what’s important? When I feel overwhelmed, pulled by things around me, off-kilter internally, how quickly can I get back to center?

Treating it like a game encourages curiosity and play rather than frantic figuring-it-out and getting-it-right. Somehow, it also diminishes the guilt of peeling away to do something for myself.

For today, pause, breathe, hit the reset button and recommit to You.