This December appears to be an easy month, workwise, so I’ve decided to take things slow, to not push myself on anything anymore, to do less so I won’t feel overwhelmed at all and instead, to focus on resting, relaxing, self-care and self-love. 🦥
This year I slept poorly because of the depression I went through, of the traveling accommodations that sometimes didn’t work in my favor, of my restless and overthinking mind that made it really hard to fall asleep being so full of thoughts, of not maintaining my nightly routine for long periods of time, of the internal battles and struggles I had sometimes. So, for the next 2 weeks I’m planning on sleeping late in the morning, especially on the weekends, even if I know it can’t undo what’s been done, but at least I hope I won’t have any more nights of 6 hours sleep or less, like I’ve been having a lot of in 2022.
So, for the rest of the year I plan on doing only what’s important/urgent since I feel like I’m in a need of a pause and I’m gonna take it to: process some things, get over a few disappointments I experienced lately, clear my head and move on over the hurt I felt recently, reflect on stuff happened in my life, let go of some negative emotions I harbor inside.
So, for the remainder of 2022 I’m doing something christmassy everyday, it may be listening to carols, reading Christmas themed books, watching feel-good movies, dancing on my favorite Christmas songs, savoring some hot chocolate with marshmallows, etc, because I want to enjoy the holidays fully, rediscover my joy and get into the festive mood to really celebrate this beautiful time of the year. For example, right now I’m writing while Google Home is playing my playlist called Christmas.
For most people, December comes with too much stress, an urgency to accomplish some goals they didn’t reach yet, a too long to-do list, and these things get in the way of enjoying the holidays or the wins so far. But I stopped myself in time because I was too in that DO IT ALL type of way and now I feel free, I actually felt lighter the moment I’ve decided to slow down, to not do everything as planned because it doesn’t do me any good, on the contrary, it only makes me feel stressed, overwhelmed and unhappy. So, this month has become magical again and these days I’m feeling the holiday vibes, I’m smiling a lot, I’m becoming more open and light hearted, I’m being more relaxed and happy. Indeed, the actions I took have helped me get here, it didn’t happen from thin air, I had to change my way of thinking and let go of some expectations, I had to accept I didn’t accomplish all I set out to do, I had to listen to my needs and let my mind understand that, it’s ok to not achieve everything I thought I would, it’s ok to fall just short, it’s ok to change my plans and it’s really ok to slow down at the end because that’s what I feel I need now, instead of pushing myself harder.
I want to start 2023 fresh, well rested, in a positive way of being, motivated to work on my dreams and achieve my happiness goals, in a great mental state so I can bring back into my schedule the daily routines that help me sleep better, be calmer, feel less stressed, those that help me tackle life’s challenges and make the problems/bad situations feel easier to face. And in order to do that I must first put myself in the right mindset, I need to prioritize my needs, I must take some time for introspection, I need to do more of the things I love and bring me happiness, taking advantage of the slower work month and use this free time for me, for refocusing on the good all around, for letting the holiday joy fill my heart.
Now, at the end of 2022, I’m planning to focus on relaxation and recovery by reading books/magazines or watching my favorite TV shows/some beautiful movies, and take a lot of vitamin M, even if it’s the season to spend more time with family and friends, since I already did that at the beginning of the month and I feel like being by myself it’s the right thing to do this Christmas. Yes, I’m not living alone so I will have some company, my brother might come with his family to visit me, but overall I will have more solo time than not because that’s my choice. I even rejected an invitation from a friend to spend the holidays together since I know that right now it’s best for me to enjoy my own company, not that of another.
So, I’m slowing down a bit these 2 next weeks because that’s what I want and need, and the small actions I’m gonna take to really help me do that are: sleeping late and laying in bed after waking without any guilt whatsoever, getting rid of my to-do list and instead doing what I feel like doing that day, journaling in the morning to clear my head and free my mind of negativity, having moments to just be, doing more of the things that bring me joy and less of those that don’t, going out for coffee in the middle of the work day, forgetting about the MUST DO stuff and instead focusing on christmassy, pleasurable ones.
Something to think about:
- What can you do at the end of 2022 so you can feel happiness inside and begin 2023 in a positive mood?
- If you are going through a bad time and it’s not really possible for you to feel happy or positive right now, ask yourself what do you need so at least feel a little bit better.
- With whom you would rather be this time of the year?
- What are the things that help you feel the magic of Christmas? Do more of those.
- How do you want to spend the holidays in order to feel great in these special times?
Happy fact: Vitamin M stands for ME TIME. 🤩 (Using the term “vitamin M” for ME TIME is my own invention but it still counts, right? 😂)
