December 20th seems like a great time for a reminder to find some fun in your day.
Undoubtedly you have tons of other things on your list besides the fun stuff (if the fun stuff made it to your list at all) and you are probably thinking that you will do some fun things if you get around to them.
BUT
Please, please, please, try to include some fun things in your day – even if it is just putting a candy cane in your coffee or doodling a gnome on your meeting notes.
This time of year tends to be busy and to feel even busier. Ideally, we’d all pare our lists down to include lots of time for fun and relaxation but that may feel like a bigger project (logistically and emotionally) than you have the capacity to take on right now.
So, if you can’t shorten your list, I hope you can find ways to make your list *feel* lighter – like inviting someone to join you on your errands, or watching a movie or listening to a podcast while you work, or by adding small things like the candy cane and gnome that I suggest above. Even the smallest bit of fun can add to the mental space you have around your list.
But, of course, I want you to be kind to yourself about everything and I want you to have as much ease as possible. So, if adding ‘fun’ elements sounds like it would be more trouble that it is worth to you, please ignore the suggestion and do what *you* need to do to find ease today.
Martha’s 2020 post was not about finding fun, but it was about making space for yourself. When she invited us to Feel the feels, she was encouraging us to accept ourselves as we are and not to try to force a feeling of happiness or excitement. I am definitely seconding that idea!
This time of year stirs up all kinds of feelings – some are about what’s going on now and some of them are from seasons past – and pushing them away can cause them to overwhelm us. If we can make some room to feel what we feel without judging ourselves, it will be easier on us overall.
Sidenote: If you find yourself carried away by your emotions, this article called ’90 Seconds to Emotional Resilience’ might interest you. The title is meant to intrigue you, of course, and you’ll need more than 90 seconds to practice the technique, but the approach is useful all the same.
In keeping with the spirit of fun, our first video today is a series of chair exercises choreographed to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and in keeping with ‘Feel the feels’ our meditation today is about emotional mindfulness.
Wishing you ease, self-kindness, and fun. 💚⭐
About Making Space 2022
About Making Space 2022
In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating. Last year, it was my turn and after an introductory Go Team post called Give Yourself Some Space, I created a series of reminders called ‘Making Space‘ that offered a suggested short exercise video and a suggested meditation in case you needed an easy way to find space for yourself in your schedule.
For 2022, I’ll be doing the same thing but I’ll also be including a link to Martha’s post from the same date in 2020 and I’ll offer a few extra ideas for relaxation, creativity, and self-kindness here and there.
These posts are not about insisting that you do more, more, more during this busy season. Instead, I want to encourage you to remember that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need in the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day.
