The holidays are here! There is always a buzz to the season; some feel it as a frenzy while others may feel it energizing. After a couple years living with restrictions, people are beginning to feel ready to fully gather and even overcompensate for the lack of getting together.
The normally full schedule gets slammed with additional projects, gifts, food, invitations, purchases. And through it all, your inner balance can feel thrown off. I’ll have to make time to ____. Don’t forget to get the _____! What am I bringing to the party? When will this all get done?
How balanced do you feel right now? Sitting, breathing, reading? What are your beliefs and expectations of a balanced life? Pause, check-in, and write it down.
Now, what are your thoughts regarding your current level of balance? Are you your worst critic, or are you your biggest cheerleader?
Balance is a sense of inner calm that lives within. It is something we cultivate and nurture the same way we go to the gym and eat healthy foods. We practice feeling balanced in the times that are calm, so we are ready to return to our inner balance when life surprises us.
There are a few misconceptions to finding balance. Perhaps you think, “I’ll feel balanced when the holidays are over.” Or maybe your thoughts are, “I was so balanced before school started!” The mistaken belief is that feeling balanced is something that will happen in the future or feeling balanced is something that has already passed.
This mental time travel is beneficial because it is the reason we plan. Unfortunately, positive planning can sometimes spiral into worry and regret. Returning to the present moment, and feeling the balance of this instant, helps restore the sensation of balance.
We cannot predict when life will surprise us, we know that during the holiday season emotions will be higher, more stuff will be happening, and we may need to watch what we are eating at holiday parties, but our inner balance is something that is ALWAYS with us. Tune into the present moment, and check-in periodically.
The present moment is a vast yet quiet feeling. Observing thoughts, sensations and breath are ways to connect with the present moment. What is your breath like now? What about now?
Breathing happens all day, every day, since the moment you were born. We rarely connect with our breath in the moment. Our heart is beating all day long, since before we were born. We rarely connect with the sensation of our heart beating. Both breath and heartbeat are communicators of how we are feeling.
As the season continues to roll on, I invite you to check in with your breath and heartbeat. This takes less than 30 seconds. Check in without letting anyone around you know what you are doing. Connect with what your body is doing this instant and make a habit of connecting daily and often throughout the day.
Cultivating our inner balance is a practice. The holiday season is something we anticipate and know will likely be a time that is busier than usual. Life, however, is not as predictable. Practice returning to the present moment and connect to your inner balance now. Let this holiday season be the time you give yourself the gift of feeling balanced!
