A Conscious Christmas

Countdowns at this time of year abound; how many days left until Christmas; how many days until the end of the year; and a building focus on ‘how to make 2024 your best year yet!’

We can be unintentionally caught up in this process of hurtling ourselves towards the end of the year, squeezing in more and more commitments, promises to catch-up, requests to donate our time, expectations to sew sequins onto another concert costume…

A Conscious Christmas

So many of us acknowledge that this time of the year can become overwhelmingly busy with commitments, catchups and events. Yet there are some people who don’t get caught in this quagmire. Instead, they consciously opt out.

Striking The Right Balance

There are varying degrees of opting out, and you have to strike the right balance for yourself. But how about, instead of just saying yes through gritted teeth to everything that comes your way, you choose how you want the next couple of months to feel for you and then decide with each new RSVP if this will get you closer, or further away from your desired state.

Why are some of us seduced into the tantalizing dance of ‘We must catch up before Christmas’ as if some magical vortex opens after December 26 and we can no longer catch up? Especially if, as is sometimes the case, the last time we caught up was when we squashed in a catch-up last year before Christmas!

Ask Yourself

Is there really much point in turning up to that extra event you’ve squeezed into an already full day, an hour late, to speed date people there and spend more time apologising for being late and for now leaving early, that you do actually get to positively engage with people?

Are we really happy with throwing ourselves around over-crowded shopping centres, buying more stuff in a rush to give to people presents that they may not need or want, just so we can give them ‘a little something to show I cared’?

Image credit: Denise Johnson (Unsplash).