Given that many holiday stressors are unavoidable, what would mindful holidays look like? Would mindfulness make this time of year stress-free? Would mindfulness lead to more joy and cheer?
Since mindfulness is simply the practice of paying non-judgmental attention to our experience, it’s not about ‘getting rid’ of difficult experiences. Also, it won’t necessarily increase feelings of joy and cheer. However, it can shift the way we relate to our experience, which can help to reduce stress.
So, a mindful holiday season would look like opening our hearts and minds to whatever our experience of it is – with care, with patience, with compassion, and with curiosity. Mindfulness can reduce expectations, helping us to allow things to be as they are. When we tend to our experience with compassion and without judgment, we make room for greater ease to enter our lives.
