 With Hanukkah already in full swing and Christmas less than one week away, the hustle and bustle of the season is tangible. It can be somewhat of a feat to stay on top of one’s well-being as this all unfolds. If you are not careful, you may run the risk of falling victim to overlooking some of the very things which keep you functioning best.
I challenge you now to consider the following – How might I be able to consistently provide myself with foods that optimally nourish me? With exercise which enhances not depletes me? With adequate time allotted for rest, such that I will wake each day feeling refreshed and best suited to take in the simple joys which this season bestows upon us? In a weak moment, or moments, you may be tempted to fall into “auto pilot mode,” traveling from one holiday gathering to the next mindlessly eating and drinking anything and everything in sight … afterall, ‘Tis the season. The vicious cycle may continue. You have a food or alcohol or worst of all - a combination of both, hangover. You feel exhausted because you are consistently staying up too late at social gatherings, or baking, or wrapping gifts (insert your excuse here). Thus, you begin to feel as if you have no energy to exercise. The energy which it would take to provide yourself and/or your family with wholesome meals seems daunting, and so you pick something up on the go. Just when it feels as if you ought you throw in the towel altogether, you do what so many of us are tempted to do … You set your sights to January. “In January, I’ll start again fresh - with a clean slate!” We tend to equate the dropping of the ball at midnight on December 31st as a breath of fresh air. A new year equates to a new beginning. I sincerely hope that you will take a few moments now to honestly consider how you might ward off that sense of spiraling out of control which this, the latter portion of December, can present. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, the holidays inevitably seem to leave us feeling defeated and/or depleted to some degree. Not exactly the foot upon which to optimally “start fresh,” right? Perhaps you will consider joining me for an afternoon of Accessing Mindfulness Saturday January 3rd 12:30 – 3PM. This workshop will provide you with a safe forum in which to identify and mindfully establish lifestyle practices which will truly support your well-being. Feel free to contact me directly for EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION by Saturday December 20th. For now, please remember, mindfulness is NEVER more than one breath away. You have complete control over how the days ahead unfold. I challenge you to mindfully embrace it all … with gratitude. Afterall, ‘tis the season! Seasons Blessings, Josette
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Can you hear me? What language am I speaking?  It’s been awhile since I have not been “heard”. You know you say something and the person you are talking to doesn’t get what you are saying. You say it again in a different way over and over again. You feel like a broken record. It’s frustrating to get nowhere.
So what happens next? It’s funny I witnessed 2 very different responses to the same situation. My reaction to not being heard was to not bother and walk away. My friend’s response was more direct- Ah Hello! Are you listening to me? I wanted to avoid the conflict at all cost, and she was ready to go for it. We were both feeling our frustrations build as the miscommunications progressed. This experience made me stop and think. And eventually write this little post. It’s really hard when you feel like you are not being heard! It’s happens all the time. It happens between parents and kids. It happens between partners in business and life. It happens with our friends. Really it happens all the time! When this happens to you once and a while, it might just be annoying or frustrating, but you can take a deep breath and move on or come back to the conversation at a later time. We might need to have compassion for the person who does not understand us and a bit for ourselves as well. And maybe it’s Ok if we are not understood, if it’s someone we won’t see again or need to have a close relationship with, maybe we can let it go. We can’t expect everyone to understand us all of the time. When it is or seems to be happening all the time, chronically not being heard, resentments might start to build. This could be especially with people who are close to us or who we have interactions with on a daily basis. If you are not being heard by your parent, child, boss, friend, sister, or brother, anger might build as well blocking the communication even more. You might actually need to get some help to learn each other’s language. You might need to apply different techniques of listening or speech. It might take effort and work to come to a place of awareness or to a place where understanding can occur. A broken communication system wears us down and puts strain on those relationships that mean the most to us. You might notice this strain is more apparent during the holiday season. Be mindful of it and breathe. With a little patience we might all be heard. I’m just wondering what you do when you feel like you are not heard? Please share your thoughts and comments below so we can all learn from each other! Warmly, Denise |
My Thoughts:This blog is a reflection of things going on my life and the world around us. Through yoga we always try to look at things in a different light! Archives
February 2023
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Photo from Ale Márquez