As December has well and truly arrived in 'the flashes of flashes' I wanted to send warm wishes to you all and share my favourite tips for managing time with friends and family and most importantly yourself.
Even if you aren't celebrating Christmas it is still a time of year to take stock and allow things to rest and settle. We will shortly be moving away from the darkest days (in the Northern hemisphere at least) and back into the lighter days so it is time to stop thinking about January and February as the darkest months- they're not! At the end of January our days will be 9 hours and 8 mins long compared to 7 Hours and 55 mins in December* - source here
* Bristol calculations
Your love for someone is not based on the amount of money you paid for the gift.
Checking In with yourself:
It's always a good idea to check in with yourself and see how you really are. However I honestly feel that phrase can sound wafty and vague. I'm not about wafty and vague! It is about giving yourself a few moments to answer some deeper questions. Often we hear 'I'll feel OK when I've finished my to-do list, or when I've finalised the accounts or done the payroll or sorted the shed etc...' Yes, of course all these things can bring you a sense of relief but to really find out where you are and what you need try asking:
How are you, really?
What’s on your mind?
What’s been getting in your way?
What do you want to celebrate?
What are you excited to let go of?
How are you feeling, right now?
Perhaps you need a few hours on your own to recharge? An early night? A long bath? A soothing book before sleep? Some exercise and fresh air?
The extroverts may need to make connections with friends and family to charge themselves up.
It may be you need to look deeper into the act of giving. Aside from a physical gift what else can you gift?
If you really want to reflect a bit deeper on the year please have a look at this wonderful way to review your year.
Now for my favourite 5 top tips for the season:
Your love for someone is not based on the amount of money you paid for the gift.
Allow yourself to eat and drink whatever you want. Yes really! There are just two things to consider and they really are easy. The first is to slow down so you can actually taste it. Secondly if you are going to eat it choose to enjoy it!
Give yourself permission to be who you are - if you don't want to be life and soul you don't have to be, conversely we don't need to be stuck in a rut of misery even if we are missing our loved ones - a little lightness and fun can be just the thing!
Rattled? Take 5 seconds to consider your response because that is all it takes to save a situation from going pear shaped.
If ever in doubt about what to do, choose the kind option. It's not the time to comment on a person's weight, hair, etc. (Is it ever?)
Thank you so much for dropping by over this last year!
Nicola
xx
If you are going to be alone on Christmas day and fancy some online company you can head over to Sarah Millican's #joinin over on Twitter