How about actually including Mindfulness into your Christmas – de-stress, relax a bit with these five tips for a merry Mindfulness Christmas.
- Drinking mindfully: You can be mindful even when you are drinking. Whenever you take a sip just remember to taste the drink as much as you can. Feel the sensation of the taste buds. Try to forget all your other senses, concentrate on the flavor of the drink while you feel the liquid passing down your mouth. Feel all its flavors while it dwells in your mouth and starts to sink down. Whenever you drink mindfully you will be aware of the sensation the drink brings – you will feel the satisfaction more and enjoy the drink certainly more.
- Preparing Food: Christmas is all about good food and celebrations. You can practice a lot of mindfulness even when you are handling or cooking food. You can simply practice mindfulness using a few simple steps. Handle food just as you would handle your eyeballs. Be very gentle with the food you have when you are preparing meals. You can practice mindfulness when you are chopping vegetables. Concentrate on the blade, its movements– it’s an excellent idea to practice mindfulness and trying not to chop your fingers. Try and focus in making uniform chops. Chopping vegetables finely will help in practicing mindfulness during Christmas time when you are spending a lot of time cooking and preparing.
- Create your mindful moments: During Christmas holidays why don’t you savor all those moments which are important for you!! These can be your time spent with all your loved ones – can be kids, parents, friends or friends. Be calm and recollect all happy and memorable past holidays. It is surely going to distress you and give you immense satisfaction.
- Walking: Christmas is the time for socializing and moving around with friends. You may be walking with friends, going to Church or just walking your dog – don’t miss out the chance of practicing mindfulness. You just need to pick up a 1 sense perception. Just focus your mind on that particular sense. For example, you are walking with your friends – you can concentrate on all cars which are passing by or on the birds which are chirping.
- Gratitude: With all the frantic buying of presents and eating excessively, you may find yourself stressed and anxious. Try and be a little more calm and happy by remembering what it going well in your life. Even if your dad makes a big fuss about the turkey, or you son is miserable he didn’t get that new computer, there are probably many things that are going well. The presence of your family, your friends or perhaps your cute dog. Let the stocking this Christmas be filled with gratitude!
Merry Mindfulness Christmas – and remember your breathing!
Source -Shamash Alidina MA(Ed.)
Mind Body Synergy 