HEALTH & WELLNESS
Mindfulness for the Holidays By Maura L. Johnson, LCSW, PMH-C
With the rush of the holiday season upon us, many of us will find ourselves in a state of overwhelm and exhaustion. While it may be a time of celebration for many, getting lost in the planning, cooking, shopping and general chaos of this season can make it seem like a blur. Leaning into mindfulness practices can be a helpful way of staying present, absorbing the small moments, and creating lasting memories for years to come. But how do we do this?
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indfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being aware of what you are sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. In a larger sense, this practice is often very helpful in coping with anxiety and uncomfortable feelings/sensations that we experience. We often judge these feelings and sensations as something that must be avoided and judged as negative, instead of allowing and accept-
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ing them. In the smaller sense, we can utilize mindfulness practice as a way to stop, breathe and take in what is occurring around us in that very moment. When we think of the holidays and plethora of activities and tasks around them, it’s rare that we stop, reflect and “take it all in.” I like to consider mindfulness as something that is simple but not exactly easy. The practice requires very little physical effort or external items, but it can