Being Present During the Holidays: Mindfulness Tips from a Baltimore Counseling Practice
Have you ever walked away from the holidays feeling empty? Have you forgotten about your holiday memories immediately after returning to work? Or have you looked around the table and been frustrated at how separated everyone seemed?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you might be struggling to be present during the holidays. Which is valid! It can be hard to unplug and detach from the outside world during the holidays where there is so much going on. However, if we really want to enjoy the holidays and create lasting memories, it is important to live in the moment during the busy seasons. This is easier said than done, though! Below are some tips about how to enjoy the present moment this holiday season.
Being present during this holiday season
But, before we talk about tips, what is living in the present? Living in the present means letting whatever happens in the moment occur without worrying about the past or future. It is a way to allow yourself to feel any emotions you have and enjoy the experiences in front of you. While a holiday may feel like just one day in the year, it is important to allow ourselves to live in the moment during the day, both to create good memories and refresh ourselves for the coming weeks.
Unplug from electronic devices
One tip for being present is to put down your phone. While this may seem simple or outdated, it is a powerful strategy. Phones are great for communicating with far away loved ones on holidays, but be sure to spend time without your phone at some point during the day. Phones allow easy access to the internet, giving you the chance to escape the current moment and focus on so many other things. Choosing a period of time where you and those who you celebrate with can step away from phones (and really all devices) will help you live more in the present together and make lasting memories in your heart, not just your camera roll.
Adjust your expectations
Another tip to live in the present over the holidays to remove any expectations you have. Whether it be the fight that you’re worrying about breaking out, or the great gift you’re hoping to receive, having preset expectations going into an event only makes the event harder to endure. When we let go of how we expect things to be, we can enjoy them a lot more. It is important to allow yourself to let whatever happens happen during the holidays and to be able to accept that in the moment. Once we let go of the way we expect things to happen, we can better enjoy the way things happen naturally.
Practice gratitude
Thinking about gratitude is another great way to be present during the holidays. Start now! Life is hard and can be full of challenges, but finding one thing to be grateful for everyday can help give you the burst of positive energy that you need. And the more you look for gratitude moments, the more they’ll appear! We need to train our brains to notice positive moments and recognize our gratitude for them. You can do this by keeping a journal, sharing gratitude moments with a friend or your therapist, or taking a moment to be thankful when they occur. Whatever method you choose, it is important to not only be grateful but allow yourself to recognize moments where you were truly present and in the moment. Once you bring gratitude into your life, being present will start to become easier the more you recognize it.
Schedule time to be present
The final tip to be present in the moment is to intentionally plan time to be. Now, this might seem counterintuitive, but scheduling time to be present can be a powerful tool. With so many items on our to-do lists, it can be difficult to allow time “off” without the certainty of ever truly being finished. That is why putting something on your calendar that says “Be Present” or “Enjoy Yourself” is important. It is helpful to make our self-care official and know that we are prepared to be in the moment. For anyone who struggles with the stress of scheduling and having a long list of things to do, adding your free time to that list can be healing and allow you to truly take a break from the hustle of life to live in the moment.
With the holidays right around the corner, it is important to remember to take a step back and live in the present. Whether it be putting your devices away for a while, removing your expectations, focusing on gratitude, or intentionally planning your free time, living in the present is an important part of creating an enjoyable and memorable holiday season. Once you are able to fully be in the moment, the holiday season will seem a lot less stressful and tedious than you imagined.
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Written by: Jackson Borchers, Counseling Intern
