How to Let Curiosity Carry You
through the Holidays or a difficult week
Dear friends,
Is anyone else feeling run down after Thanksgiving weekend? I know I am and I hardly did any “holidaying.” On Thursday, I woke up at 4am (couldn’t sleep), went for a 2 hour walk early in the morning, made a gluten free pineapple upside down cake and biked to a friend’s house for early dinner. I cried 4x out of happiness, drank some wine and was in bed by 10pm. Overall, it was a great day.
I am hearing from a lot of you that you are tired, run down and a little overwhelmed with the pace that the year end is approaching. Not to mention all of the holiday gatherings, work parties, Christmas white elephant parties, and family events. Just thinking about the amount of events on my calendar in the next 3 weeks makes my head hurt.
It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of this season even though winter is typically a time to slow down. It’s easy to feel taxed and frustrated when you spread yourself too thin. If this happens and you find yourself with some sticky emotions (overwhelm, annoyed, frustrated, short tempered etc.), curiosity might be just the ticket to find some relief. Try this quick exercise:
Take stock of your feeling and name it. I am feeling very frustrated right now.
Pause and see where this feeling shows up in your body. I feel tight in my chest and throat.
Get curious with yourself about this feeling. Gently ask yourself some questions about why you are feeling this way. Why am I feeling frustrated? Because I overbooked myself today and have to make small talk with a bunch of people when all I really wanted to do was go home early and cuddle my dogs.
Let the feeling be in your body, then let it go. It’s interesting that by breathing into the frustration rather than reacting to it, I have opened up some space for a new, different feeling. Now I am feeling tired.
With the Full Moon in Gemini this week, this is your reminder that you do not need to do everything. You do not need to say yes to every invite, every holiday get together or to doing things that zap your energy. If you are tired, make time to rest. If you need a break, carve out time for yourself, even if that is 15 minutes of meditation or turning your phone off by 8pm. Conserve your energy for the things that are important to you. Choose to do those things because they light you up inside, not because you feel obligated to. Choosing yourself first is an act of love that will be felt by yourself and those around you.
All my best,
Naomi
P.S. Still struggling with the holiday season? Don’t fret the Holidays are Hard mini session is here. Together we will identify what things are most stressing or taxing about the holidays and come up with plan on how to address them in a way that feels good to you and loving for those you care about. $33 for a private session, click here to book.