It’s Christmas week. Many of you are manically shopping and baking to get ready for the weekend. It’s one of the most stressful weeks of the entire year. To make matters worse, we have less daylight.
Amid all the wrapping of gifts and checking your list to make sure everyone has a present and everything will be perfect, we tend to neglect something very important. Our mental health. 🙂 And along with mental health, our physical health is at risk.
So here’s something to help you, and it only takes a few moments:
- Take a deep breath
- Hold it for a count of seven
- Release the breath
- Repeat steps 1-3, two or three times.
Did you try it? It works by supplying extra oxygen to the brain. They say it also helps you fall asleep. I haven’t really tried that. All I need to fall asleep is to sit still for about five minutes. Works every time. But if I lie down, I tend to wake up.
What helps you relax? A relaxing bath, a cup of hot tea or other hot beverage, an interesting book, a beloved pet–those are all good ways to take a break during this stressful season.
Take care of yourself. There are a lot of bugs being passed around right now, and when you’re tired and stressed, your immunity runs low.
Okay, enough grandma talk. What’s my final wish before Christmas? I’ve wished for time (to remember, to meditate on what’s happened this year), I’ve wished for togetherness with family and friends.
So my final Christmas wish is for you to have a wonderful holiday. May you be blessed with time to spend with family and friends. May you have time to remember, and be thankful for what you have. May you have moments of peace and relaxation to help you navigate the maze of the holiday season.
Give to others from your heart, not expecting anything in return. Love with all your heart, but don’t hide it–show it. Say the words, “I love you,” often, and with feeling. The Bible says you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). That’s a very practical proverb. It’s true, you know. If you plant a tomato seed, you won’t get an apple tree, you’ll get a tomato plant.
So when you do good to others, somewhere along the way, it’ll come back to you.
Betty Thomason Owens 