It wouldn’t be 12 Days of Festive Feel-Good Fashion without a little advice on all of the above! Not only is it a season that holds fewer daylight hours, more social commitments, tighter deadlines and budgets, it really can feel like a race towards the end of the year. But who’s watching or winning? If thinking about your endless list of shoulds, to-dos and demands makes you physically curl into yourself, notice how it feels to be in contraction. If we instead approached this season in a state of expansion, starting with a deep conscious breath, can you feel the shift?
Expansion can look like
- spotting windows of opportunity for non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) in a busy day to recharge your batteries
- shifting your run to daylight hours so you can soak up Vitamin D (essential in Winter)
- not berating yourself for indulging in the season’s offerings, but mindfully consuming and appreciating the delights fully
- being open to spontaneity with a softer heart, more patience, and just holding things a little lightly
- also being open to connection, reconnection and sharing in the magic that this season holds
- celebrating this time of year in the way that makes sense to YOU without worry or judgement from others
- practising heart-opening yoga
- dopamine dressing: choosing with intention things that bring you a lot of happiness to wear, move in and feel your comfiest
Try switching into an expansive state when the pressures, low temperatures and flagging energy make you feel tightly coiled. Notice where you can open up, be generous with yourself too, and know that whatever comes up, you’re not alone.