How to spend your Christmas break in a meaningful way?
Finding your way from doing what’s expected of you to maximising self-care, especially during the festive season.
As this year is coming to an end
And a new year
Is knocking on your door,
Is there a break for you in sight?
Christmas is coming up,
And while for many it’s business as usual,
Maybe you have a few days respite?
Make them something to look forward to.
Something you actually look forward to, a lot.
Make it nourishing
Make it good for you.
These few days between Christmas
And the New Year
Are a rare opportunity
To really give yourself what you need.
If you are lucky to have some days off
Be mindful to use them well.
As you might not get
A break anytime soon.
I imagine you need some time for you.
Your body, mind and soul are inviting you
To tune into what you really need.
To listen inwardly
How you’d like to spend those days.
Regardless of what the world
Expects of you,
Follow your own truth.
That little oasis of space,
The upcoming period around Christmas
And the New Year: make it count.
Make it meaningful.
“Follow your soul. It knows the way.”
from cherished family traditions to breaking away from expectations
Your Christmas holiday: follow your own truth and nourish your soul
So while the Christmas invitations
And festive season commitments
Are starting to pop up around you,
And people are asking you
When, how, where, what time?
Please pause and check:
How do you feel inside?
What do you want?
Exited to socialise,
Or is it all too much?
Do you need a rest,
Or are you craving adventures?
Crowds or solitude?
Flying over the globe,
Or curling up at home?
A small circle of loved ones
Or parties until the early morning?
As always
I invite you to check within:
What is your truth?
What does your heart want?
What does your body need?
What is the whisper of your soul?
Take a moment and feel
“How do I want to spend
This precious little break?”
When Christmas arrives it’s still possible,
But definitely harder to change commitments.
So start checking in with yourself early
Making sure you only say yes
To what is right for you.
So think carefully:
What makes your heart sing?
What lights up your soul?
Being all by yourself?
Not travelling anywhere?
A yoga retreat in Greece?
A cottage with a fireplace?
Space to grief the loss of a loved one?
Nothing at all in the diary?
Going dancing, letting it all out?
Spending quality time with someone you love?
Four days of sleep?
A long walk with your best friends?
Make it happen,
See what's possible.
Check in with your truth now,
And create a Christmas break
That’s right for you.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
you can always Give it your 1%
But what if that feels impossible, with all the expectation and commitments?
For many of us
This ‘follow your heart’ stuff,
Is easier said than done.
There might be family commitments,
People you care about who are ill,
Grieving of loved ones,
Children to take care of,
Work to be done…
When your deepest wish seems unthinkable,
Then at least go for your 1%.
For example:
If your wish is to spend the entire break in nature,
But a family gathering is ‘mandatory’
And guess what, they live in a busy city…
Then what could be your 1%?
See if you can schedule a long walk instead.
Maybe the town has a green route?
Book dinner in the nearest country pub?
Wake up early to ride a bike through the parks?
A children’s scavenger hunt outdoors?
When the mind is willing to be flexible,
Instead of turning bitter or in poor-me mode,
There will be creative solutions.
And from that 1%,
By that one small step,
A new view will open up,
With yet again new possibilities
Speaking your truth
And if your needs are different
To what the world expects from you,
Explain it kindly,
Trying not to upset anyone.
Yet knowing that the reaction of others
Is not within your control.
Speak your truth with kindness,
Walk your own path
Following that deeper calling:
Your life is right here, right now.
Use it well.
Life is precious. Live it true.
It all starts with being true to yourself:
What do you really want?
What are you longing for?
Total honesty with oneself.
And then to see what’s possible.
It's been a lot these past years.
Give yourself permission
To have a merry little Christmas time.
With love,
Karin
PS.
When you’d like to use your Christmas break
For reflection, healing and transformation,
So you will start the New Year
With crystal clear clarity on the path ahead
May I suggest an Inner Journey,
You’ll be taken by the hand, so you can create
A lovely mini-retreat at home for a day.
An online coaching course to find yourself again,
Particularly after a stressful period in your life:
Let Vitalis Coaching & Therapy guide you to feel a little lighter as you travel through life.
“Thank you for your Christmas blog. I really enjoyed reading it and asking myself how I feel, and then to ask (and only then) what do I want? I hope you have a good build up to Christmas as well and do what you feel and what you want.”
