The holiday season can be a time full of commitments, planning, and (pleasant or unpleasant) anticipation. Use this guided practice to help navigate stress that may arise. Remember to check in with yourself and acknowledge what you need to tap into ease.
A 20-Minute Guided Meditation to Ease Holiday Stress
Tap Into Ease with This Guided Meditation for Holiday Stress
- Start by finding a comfortable position, with your back resting against your chair and your feet on the ground. Feel the support of the ground and the support of whatever you’re sitting on right now. If the breath is a comfortable anchor for your attention, connect with your breath and the sensations of breathing in this moment.
- Take a few deep breaths. On your exhale, let yourself release tension that is easy to release. Notice any tension that is more difficult to release and allow it to be here. Give yourself the gift of not having to do anything right now.
- Let your breath be your guide. Sit here and let the breath breathe itself, in company with your attention. When you become aware that your attention has wandered away from the breath, gently bring it back.
- Invite the mind to settle, and if you care to, remember beautiful moments, joyful moments. (Maybe from Thanksgiving this year. A lot of people saw loved ones again for the first time after two years.) Take your time as you remember small moments or big moments of joy, happiness, connection. You can imagine each of these memories as a pearl that you place into a bowl—as if you’re collecting treasure. One memory at a time, let yourself feel your treasure.
- Now think about the upcoming days. The next weeks might be quite full with planning, work, family obligations, preparations for celebrations, and anticipation. Let yourself feel it all.
- What do you need? What do you need more of as a resource, as an anchor to this time? Maybe you need to focus a little bit more on rest. Maybe you need to implement a short walk in the fresh air every day. Maybe there is something you need to say no to. Maybe you need to give yourself permission to be imperfect—to be human. See if there’s anything arising now that you’ll want to remember after this meditation is over.
- Let all the thoughts, images, and concepts you brought to mind dissolve back into silence. Take a few longer, deeper breaths as you get ready to end this meditation and continue with your day.
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