The British School of Meditation Blog

We’re often told that Christmas is ‘the season to be jolly’, but instead it can be a season of immense pressure and overwhelm.  As soon as the Halloween decorations go down at the start of November, the Christmas decorations go up in the shops and the jolly music starts to play , and on the adverts on TV we are shown what it is to have a ‘perfect’ family get together ..

We’re told the ‘gift is in the giving’, and whilst it can be, you don’t tend to see very many happy shoppers trying to shop for their perfect Christmas!  Instead, there seems to be a lot of stress and furrowed brows contemplating if Great Auntie Elsie would prefer another tin of biscuits or whether she might like to try the rum and raisin fudge this year!

So, what can we do when we start to feel overwhelmed?  Well, we can turn to some of the principles from our meditation practice.

1. Get grounded:  When we are grounded, it is easier to be calm and balanced in your approach.  So simply, take a moment to feel your feet connecting with the ground.  If you like, you could press gently into the ground.  Or you could imagine roots coming out of your feet and going into the ground below. 

2. Focus your attention on one thing:   In a focused meditation, we rest our awareness on one thing.  This could be the breath, or a word, or even an image in our mind.  When we do this, we are training our attention to be ‘present’.  We can also apply the same principle to our Christmas list and allow ourselves to focus on one task at a time rather than thinking we have to do everything together at the same time.   To help you with your focus, you could always do some stealth meditations, such as taking a few conscious breaths, which can switch your stressed nervous system into a calmer response for your body and mind.  Or reciting a mantra can help to bring calm to anxious brain waves.  You could repeat ‘calm’ to yourself, or you could recite, ‘I have all the time in the world.’
3. When your mind wanders, notice: Of course, when we are meditating, our minds will wander to thoughts, feelings, and stories, but when we realise, we can simply come back to the focus of our attention again.  If you are ruminating about Christmases past, or creating stories about what your Christmas might end up like, simply comeback to the task in hand.  You could always return again to the grounding technique, or use your breath to release any tension from your body and mind.
4. Be gentle with yourself:  If we judge ourselves harshly, it creates a full stop within our meditation flow, and so the practice of non-judgment is a fundamental foundation.  We can bring the same principle to our tasks too.  If you are bring hard on yourself, it can be beneficial to remind yourself of a quote often attributed to Socrates: ‘Is it true; is it kind or is it necessary?’. 
5. Accept ‘what is’: In meditation we learn to accept the moment we are in, without trying to change it.  If we do try to control it in any way, we are resisting the current experience.  Acceptance isn’t a passive place.  Instead it allows us see things clearly, and from this we realise we have choice on how to act.  If you bring acceptance to your tasks, you will create much more space for clarity on how to allow it all unfold for you and your loved ones.  

Sometimes, it is also worth reminding ourselves that ‘presence over presents’ can be a much more worthwhile experience.  With our presence, we can show up in the moment we are in, and connect in a more meaningful way.  When we do this, instead of focusing on what is wrong, we can make more room to focus on what is right.  We might even find that we start to see that the best, and more memorable moments, are the perfectly imperfect ones too.

 By Sarah Presley