Written by Sarah Peritz, M.A.

As the holiday season approaches, people may feel excited for family time, food, and celebration. However, for many others, it can be a source of high stress, intense emotions, and unmet needs and expectations. This is where mindfulness comes in! Mindfulness can be a powerful tool to help navigate this busy and potentially overwhelming time while staying present, regulated, and balanced.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is simply the practice of paying attention, without judgment, and accepting the current moment as it is. To clarify to our folks who are struggling with the holiday season, to accept mindfully does not mean that our acceptance indicates preference, favorability, or liking. To accept a moment, means to drop the imaginary tug of war we may be having with another person, our thoughts, our feelings, or our urges, and allowing the moment to be as it is despite our dislike of it occurring.

Using Mindfulness this Season

One aspect we can all use during this holiday season is allowing emotions to be present without pushing them away. Imagine you’re feeling sad or frustrated this holiday season. Although it is natural and adaptive for us as human beings to want to push difficult emotions away, pushing them away does mean they disappear. Instead, they come back stronger. Therefore, this holiday season, try pausing, taking a deep breath, acknowledging the emotion (whatever it may be), and allowing it to be here because it already is! Additionally, emotions are wonderful indicators; they provide information about our environment and how we may be feeling. Pausing and acknowledging the emotion rather than letting it control you may result in more adaptive reactions, such as leaving the room with a family argument occurring rather than erupting in anger. 

Therefore, this holiday season, it’s okay to:

• Start small: take a few moments throughout the week to notice your emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations, take a deep breath, and proceed mindfully. 

• Focus on the present: engage fully in holiday moments you enjoy. 

• Accept your emotions: they are telling you something and it’s important to listen.