Thanks for hanging out with me for the Making Space 2025 posts.
Over the last few years, writing these posts has helped my December days to feel more spacious. The process of planning and writing not only gives me a fixed point to work around but it also gives me a feeling of having gotten something tangible done day after day, no matter how hectic the rest of the day might feel.
And, of course, I love the idea that my posts might be helping someone else – even if it is just that seeing the title serves as a reminder to give yourself a little kindness and grace on a given day.
I chose December for these daily posts because the ambient stress of holidays and the end of the year tends to make our time feel tight and crowded but those feelings can show up at any time of year.
On this last day of Making Space 2025, I’m inviting you to make a short list of things that have helped (or could help!) you to create some space so you can refer to it when you are feeling jammed into the corners of your own life.
You could keep the list on your phone, in a notebook, on your computer, or stuck to the fridge – the key is to keep it handy when you need it.
You might even make a recurring event on your calendar each month so you can check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you are making space for yourself on the regular.
But whether you make that list, whether you try my suggested activities for today, or whether you do something else entirely, I wish you ease, fun, rest, and joy as we move into 2026.
See you tomorrow for the first Go Team post for 2026.
Here’s our final movement practice suggestion for 2025. I decided to go with a video that mixed a lot of things together – you can do as little or as much of it as you wish.
In the still image for this Get Moving! All-In-One Workout from Yes2Next, the left side of the image is purple with white text overlaid. The text reads “20 Minutes Balance, Cardio, Strength” with the last three words in bullet points and then says “All-In-One Workout.” On the right side of the image we see two women, one middle aged and one senior, in exercise clothes. They are both lifting their right arm in the air and balancing on their right leg while lifting their left foot off of the floor.
In the still image for this video, the instructor, a light-skinned woman with shoulder length wavy blonde hair, who is wearing leggings and a sweatshirt, is standing on a blue yoga mat on a wooden floor. She has one hand on her belly and the the other on her upper chest, and she looks like she is breathing in, calmly. There is a purple stripe across the screen that has white text overlaid on it and the text reads “Your nervous system likes this.” On either side of the mat are various plants in pots and in wicker baskets and there is a multi-coloured bolster cushion propped up against the wall behind her on her left.
And here is our final mindfulness practice suggestion for 2025:
The still image for this ‘A Sense of Spaciousness Guided Contemplation/Meditation’ video from Stream Yoga Meditation shows us a view of the sky from the perspective of someone looking up from below, perhaps through sunglasses. The sky is a deep blue, there are ragged clouds on the bottom left, and a bright splash of sun with long rays extending in each direction is near the middle of the image.
Today, I met one friend for tea in the morning and as this post goes live, I’ll be meeting another friend for a writing hangout in the afternoon and somehow my day feels marvelously spacious.
That doesn’t quite add up, does it?
On paper, adding two separate events to my schedule at two different locations, with enough time between them that I’ll be going home and heading out again, seems like it should make time feel tight, it should make me feel busier.
But, of course, because both of those events are FUN and because time spent with each of those friends is relaxing and restorative.
So even though I am adding things to my day, it doesn’t feel like more to do.
Instead, it feels like I am creating two pockets of time where I can step out of my schedule and my to-do list and spend time doing something easy and fun.
And I’m wondering if you can choose to do something similar today or tomorrow (or sometime soon.)
It doesn’t have to involve meeting friends (although I highly recommend that if your schedule and commitments will allow), it could be drawing or dancing or reading or taking a walk or cooking something new, or literally anything that lets you choose yourself and your own interests instead of just staying focused on checking off more tasks.*
Taking that time for yourself and your own interests may mean that that you will have to choose not to do some of the tasks on your big list but that could be for the best, really.
You deserve to take up space in your own life and it is unlikely that someone is going to come along and point out the best time for you to take that space – I think you are going to have to decide to just take it.
Choosing to spend time doing something you enjoy – even if it takes a bit of energy to orchestrate – will be totally worth it.
Whether you find a way to step out of your schedule, you try one of the practices below, or you find some other shenanigans to get up to, I wish you ease and I wish you space.
Be kind to yourself, pretty please!
Here’s our movement practice for today:
In the still image for this ‘5 Minute Morning Stretch: Wake Up Your Body’ video fromYoga with Joelle, the instructor, a woman with light skin and long dark hair in leggings and a tank top, is standing in the center of the image facing to the left so we can only see her right side. She has her upper arms raised to shoulder height and her forearms at a 90 degree angle so her hands are towards to the ceiling. She is leaning back a little and her arms are slightly behind her. The floors are wooden and the wall at the back is aqua. Text on the left reads ‘Wake Up Your Body’ and text on the bottom right reads ‘5 Minute Stretch.’
And here’s our mindfulness practice for the day:
In the left side of the still image for Guided Meditation: 7 Minutes of Stillness in Yellowstone, with Dora from Headspace, the instructor, a person with long dark hair and brown skin wearing a winter hat, jacket, and scarf, is leaning against a tree. On the right side is white text that reads “Riverside Meditation at Yellowstone” with a background of trees that have been slightly blurred.
*There’s a time and a place for checking off tasks, of course, but if that’s your whole approach to life it is gonna get old real fast.
Or, if you aren’t feeling any of those things, I wish you a perfectly acceptable day with no unpleasant surprises.
I have gotten myself a bit tangled trying to write this post because I was trying to say just the right thing to everyone.
But since that is impossible, I am just going to say this:
No matter how this day finds you, I wish you ease, I wish you space, I wish you peace.
May you have a little extra breathing room.
May you have a little more peace of mind.
May you have joy in your heart – even if it is just a flicker right now.
If you want it, may have company to help you celebrate or to help you carry what needs to be carried.
If you want it, may you have solitude so you can hear yourself think, so you can find ease, or so you can choose how to spend your time.
May you know how much you are loved.
Please be just as kind to yourself as you are to others, today and always.
Please know that I am thinking of you and sending you warmth and kindness and spaciousness.
On that note, I feel like it’s a good idea to put our meditation practice first today:
In the still image from this 5 Minute LovingKindness Meditation from Unearth Compassion, what I interpret as small green tendrils are poking up from frozen ground on a misty day.
And here’s our movement practice for today:
In the still image from this from Holly R Jahn, the instructor is wearing blue leggings and a grey shirt and trying on the floor on their back next to a large white pot for a houseplant. They are side-on to the camera and they have their arms outstretched and their right leg is crossed over their left. Their left is outstretched on the floor and their right foot is placed near their left knee.
If you would prefer more seasonally-themed choices, here are a few choices:
At this point, it’s really hard to know what kind of space we might need to make for ourselves.
Maybe we need some focus.
We may need something restful to do.
We might need to make space for movement.
We may need a mindful activity (and, remember, almost any activity can be done mindfully!)
And all of those needs are important and they all matter – because YOU matter and the things YOU need are just as important as all of the other needs you support on a day-to-day basis.
So today I’m inviting us all to find ways, even small ways, to give ourselves what we need right now.
Maybe you don’t have time for the hour long nap that you need, but perhaps you have time for a short break that will be helpful even if it doesn’t fully meet your needs.
Maybe you need a half an hour of high intensity exercise to sort your cluttered thoughts. But if you don’t have half an hour right now, maybe you can do a shorter workout and do some sort of list that gets all of those things out of your brain so you can see them clearly.
Maybe you need a long, slow meditation to soothe your nervous system and help you feel more like your favorite self. But if you are feeling hurried and frustrated, that might feel impossible right now. Perhaps you can try for a shorter version of your usual practice or you can ask yourself what ELSE helps you to feel like your favourite self and give that a try.
(When I take my list out of my head onto paper onto a screen, it becomes easier for me to see which ones actually need to be done. Which ones I can delegate and which ones can actually wait quite a while before they need to get done but inside my brain, they feel equally important.)
I guess the key thing here is to recognize that it is OK for you to need something and it’s OK for you to try to meet that need, even if you have to do a smaller version for now.
I know you probably have a lot of competing priorities and a lot of things to get done for others but please try not to put your needs at the very bottom of your list.
And no matter what you need right now, what you want right now, or what you have to deal with at the moment, positive or negative, I wish you ease with it.
As much as possible, may you have peace in your heart and in your mind.
Here are two movement practice suggestions for today:
The still image of this Yoga for Brain Power video from Yoga with Adriene shows Adriene with her hair pinned up and wearing black leggings and a gray sleeveless shirt. She is standing on a yoga mat that is divided horizontally into two different colours of grey. She is doing tree pose with her left foot resting on her right inner thigh while she’s standing up and she has her arms raised above her head. She is smiling and looks happy. Her dog Benji is asleep behind her next to some large plants in pots, there are windows behind her and there’s also a table with plants and some decorations on it nearby.
In the still image for this jumpstart cardio workout from Fitness Blender the instructor sitting on a blue yoga mat with their legs crossed and their hands in their lap. There is a large light haired dog sleeping next to them sort of curled around the right knee. The instructor is wearing two layers of tank tops one peach and one blue and they have on black exercise pants. Their long hair is parted on one side and is hanging down past their shoulders. They’re smiling and they look happy.
And here are two mindfulness practices for you to try.
In this 5 Minute Mindfulness Art Meditation Practice from Nicole Schyns, the still image is divided in two parts on the left-hand side. The instructor is shown with their eyes closed, sitting in their living room in front of a low table. They have a pencil in one hand and they’re holding an object in the other. They are wearing a long sleeved light brown turtleneck, and their long brown hair is pinned up on top and hanging over their shoulders on both sides. On the right side is a close-up of a couple of their drawings so they have but looks like two rocks the actual items there and below them are their drawings of those items. One of the rocks looks like it’s made up of a bunch of different small pieces or maybe covered in barnacles and the other one is a gray rock that is almost semi-circular.
And a steel image for this 10 minute Guided Meditation for Inner Peace from Declutter Your Mind you can see a wooden dock that extends through what looks like a merch with plants growing up on either side to a a lake with trees on the other side of the lake that are reflected in the water.
I’ve been writing the Making Space series daily every December for 5 years and, as it goes with these things, I am probably the person who needs the advice the most.
I am just as likely as anyone (maybe even more likely?) to get caught up in how much I could be doing and forget that there is just one person doing all the stuff I put on my list.*
My ever-expanding to do list is the result of the combination my ADHD-related challenges with time/capacity/prioritization and the ambient pressure that comes along this time of year.
Writing the Making Space posts have been helpful for me every year – a daily reminder that making space for myself in my own life is a valuable and worthwhile endeavour AND a practice that actually forces me to focus on a task (writing) that I enjoy.
I also find that the movement and mindfulness practices help, of course. Even though I don’t always complete those specific practices on those specific days, the structure of seeking them out to share with you reminds me to include at least some movement and a little meditation on even my busiest days.
But, despite how helpful all of that has been in the past, this year feels different – in a good way.
This year, I feel far more calm in December than I ever have.
Now, there are lots of contributing factors here – my kids are both in their 20s, my freelance work has been better distributed this year, I have gotten better at planning and prioritizing- but, aside from (because of?) all of that, I have found myself leaning into my movement and mindfulness practices and feeling much better because of it.
When I feel tense, I’ve been asking myself how my body needs to move right now.
When I feel stressed, I’ve been asking myself to pause and breathe.
And, yes, I have been doing this to a certain degree for a long while, this year seeking movement and mindfulness has been a more automatic, more consistent response to those feelings of tension and stress.
It feels really good to respond in those ways so often, so directly.
And I am proud of myself for getting to this point.
My practices may not be perfect but they do allow me to take better care of myself and that’s really the best case scenario, isn’t it?
*Yes, there is holiday teamwork at my house but I am talking about the stuff I tend to pile on to my to do list, not the stuff that actually must be done for our house to function and have the holiday we want to have.
Late last week, I dropped into a small shop to pick up a gift for a friend of mine, and the woman behind the counter commented that that she was so behind because she had very little Christmas shopping done.
And I realized that everybody I talk to is talking about being behind.
And despite my best efforts, I’ve had a bit of that feeling too.
I mean, I know that being busy, worrying about staying “on track“, and feeling behind is kind of viral this time of year, the feeling just seems to churn through the air around us..
Instead of getting caught up in that feeling though, I’d like us to use it as a reminder to make space for our ourselves and to let our brains relax a little.
Because, really, how are we behind?
What track are we trying to stay on?
How busy do we need to be to feel like we are doing things ‘right’?
Sure, maybe we made a plan and it didn’t work out because life got in the way. That doesn’t mean everything‘s gone wrong. It means we need to adjust our plan a little bit.
But, unless the day we were planning for is already behind us then there’s still time to make those adjustments.
We don’t have to feel bad for not having things done on someone else’s timeline.
If you’re just starting your Christmas shopping/New Year’s planning/end of year reflections/actions related to whatever else you want to get done or celebrate this time of year, that is totally fine.
There’s no inherent virtue in doing all of these things early.
Perhaps it can reduce stress to do some parts of your planning or preparation in advance (this hardly ever feels possible for me so I can’t be sure!)
Since I am going to end up doing things closer to the time of a given event, I have decided that my timeframe helps makes the planning and the preparation part of the celebration.
I know that stores will be busier, and people will be a bit more flustered, but if you factor that in, if you recognize things will take a bit more time or it might be harder to find the things you’re looking for, then there’s nothing wrong with doing things on your own schedule.
There are lots of reasons to do things early.
There are lots of reasons to do them just in time.
Neither approach is better than the other – your schedule has to do with your goals, your own capacity, your own abilities, your stress levels, your finances, your expectations.
If you don’t get too caught up in other people’s schedules or in some sort of mental picture of the ‘perfect’ way to do things then doing things your own way in your own time and course-correcting to accommodate new information is totally fine.
So, no matter how much you have done to prepare, for whatever event lies ahead of you, consider the possibility that you are right on time.
Consider the idea that you are operating on the best schedule you possibly could this year.
Maybe you started with a different plan but but being kind to yourself about where you are right now will be of much more benefit than being mean to yourself about not being somewhere else.
(And trying not to dwell on the difference between the (allegedly!) perfect schedule and your actual schedule can make the whole rigamarole a lot less stressful.)
So, Team, no matter where you are on your to do list and no matter what schedule you are on, I wish you ease and lots and lots of space to take good care of yourself today.
Here’s our movement practice suggestion for today:
In the still image from this 15-Minute Beginner Bollywood Dance video from PS Fit there are three dancers, two female-presenting and one male-presenting, who are mid-dance. They are all standing on their right legs with their left legs lifted and their toes pointed to the back of the room, their arms are reaching towards the right with their elbows bent and their right hands pointing upwards and their left hands pointing towards their right elbows. The male-presenting dancer is wearing black shorts and a white sleeveless shirt, he has dark hair and light skin. The main instructor, who has very light brown skin and dark hair, is wearing a close-fitting blouse, wide-legged black pants that are cuffed tight at the ankles, and a series of bangles on her wrist. The final dancer, who has black hair and light brown skin, is wearing exercise pants that flare at the bottom and a cropped white sleeveless shirt. They are dancing in a studio lit with an indirect pink glow.
First things first: Today’s post is late because I made space in my day to have brunch with friends but I forgot to make space to write this post beforehand. I don’t know if that makes me a good example or a bad example but I’m definitely something. 😉
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the Winter Solstice.
It’s the darkest time of the year and traditionally a time when everyone would slow down, tell stories, do some reflection (or divination), and find ways to bring the light inside…at least metaphorically, through warm fires, bright candles, and good company.
And, of course, a lot of people still do all of that in one form or another.
Personally, I enjoy small rituals to mark special occasions and the change from ‘it’s getting darker all the time’ to ‘it is slowly getting lighter all the time’ feels like a good occasion to celebrate.
It also feels like a good time for us all to Make Space for to give ourselves what we need – whether that is movement, rest, meditation, ritual, journaling, delicious snacks, good company, or anything else we can think of.
In that spirit, I have compiled my usual offering of a movement practice and meditation practice AND I have a bunch of other things for you to try – if you are so inclined.
And, as always, I wish you ease as you create more space for yourself in your own life and please feel free to ignore these suggestions and do what you need to do.
Here are some Winter Solstice journal prompts from _WovenWomen and Therapy_with_Noel and if you’re like me and you like a personal ritual to mark different times of the year, here are some simple ones for Winter Solstice from The Mystical Society*
Here’s our movement practice for today. It’s a longer video but please don’t feel that you must do it all – just do what you have time/capacity to do.
The still image for this 30 minute Winter Solstice Yoga from PERSON shows the instructor doing Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2) pose on a yoga mat with a large window behind them. They are wearing a blue tshirt and leggings and their hair is in a ponytail with some strands falling around their face. Their torso is mostly facing the camera, their right arm is extended in front of them and their left arm is extended behind them (both at shoulder height) their bodyweight is shifted onto their right leg which is bent and pointed to the right. Their left leg is extended in line with but away from their right and their left toes are pointing towards the camera.
When I looked for Solstice meditations on YouTube today, I found that they were either very long or that they were wandering too far into metaphysical spirituality to share casually without discussion.
*I like the simplicity of the rituals they suggest but I disagree with their characterization of more complicated rituals as bullsh*t. I also disagree with anyone who suggests that everything needs to be complex to be helpful. I’m sure it will shock you to discover that I think everyone should do things in the way that serves them best.
Today, I’d like to invite you to notice all the stuff you HAVE gotten done this month.
With so much ambient busy-ness and pressure in December, almost everyone gets tangled in the length of their to do lists and how much remains to be done.
I think December 20th is a great day to take a look back at what you have actually done so far.
And I’d like you to remember that all of this is on top of your regular tasks.
And I’m hoping you’ll include all of the stuff that kind of got rolled into your to do list along the way – the phone calls, the extra emails, the add-on errands, helping your coworker find that file, picking up the napkins for the party – all the small additions that all took time and energy and planning and money.
Whether you make a mental list or a physical list of your work since December started, I hope you’ll take a moment to congratulate yourself and offer yourself a gold star for all of that hard work.
In case you don’t have a gold star handy, here’s one you can use:
The goal of this exercise is not just to show you a big list, it’s to help you make some space in your brain by seeing that some things (a lot of things) are, indeed, done.
And I would like to remind you of two things: that you are doing the very best that you can with the resources you have AND that you don’t have to do every single remaining thing on your list. I
t’s ok to choose your peace of mind and your own enjoyment of the rest of the month over the sense of pressure and perfection that this season seems to create.
And however you make space for yourself today, I wish you ease and a sense of contentment.
Here’s our movement practice for today:
The still image of this Beginner Abs – No Equipment video from NourishMoveLove shows the title on the right side and, on the left, an image of the instructor – a person with light skin with their long hair in a ponytail, wearing a black tank top, black leggings, and blueish green shoes – is demonstrating one of the exercises. They are facing the camera and extending their right arm to touch their right toes – both of which are extended toward the camera – while supporting themselves on the side of their left knee and lower leg and their left forearm and raising themselves off their yoga mat.
And our mindfulness practice for today:
The still image for this Guided 12 Minute Mindfulness Meditation by Doctor Julie Smith shows a close-up of the instructor, a woman with a slight smile who is wearing a yellowish brown hooded sweater. She has light skin, dark eyes, and long hair that is brown with blonde at the ends. The title of the video is on the right side and in the blurred background you can see a large painting with brightly coloured dots, a shelf with decorative items on it, and a tripod for a light or camera.
Sometimes I worry about being repetitive with my posts (and I worry about being repetitive in my comments about being repetitive…yes, I will overthink just about anything) but then I remember how often I need to remind myself about certain things. And since I doubt I am alone in that, I’m going to just carry on with saying something I probably have already said.
Today is a good day to decide what done looks like.
Between work, volunteer commitments, our personal lives, and any holidays we are celebrating this month, most of us have a lot of tasks and projects going we are trying to (or hoping to!) get to at the moment.
And we probably have a ‘perfect’ version of each of them in our heads.
Personally, that tends to take up a lot of my mental space because I keep subconsciously hoping that I will be able to get to that perfect version of each task and project.
This is, of course, impossible.
And the only way for me to reclaim that mental space is to decide what version of that task and project I am actually going to attempt (and, in fact, if I am going to attempt any version at all!)
By drawing a line under the possibilities for each task/project, by deciding the Conditions of Enoughness for each one, I can give myself some peace of mind because I know what the end point looks like.
So far today, I have decided that ‘getting started’ on two work projects means ‘making a list of ideas for each one and then setting a reminder to check them in January.’ And that non-urgent stack of papers can be stored for now instead of taking the time to sort them (and probably get distracted by the contents which would extend the time for the task.) And I can choose a slightly simpler card design for my gifts for my friends – the message of love will be the same but I won’t need to wait for the paint to dry and that makes things significantly easier.
I’d like to invite you to try this out for any projects and tasks that you have spinning around you at the moment.
What could ‘done’ look like?
What’s the most straightforward version of that task or project that you could be satisfied with for now?
How can you make this whole thing easier on yourself while still feeling good about it?
Sidenote: We could also consider who we could ask to help us and what form that help might take. This isn’t always possible but it’s worth considering.
Whether you choose to draw lines under things (or set Conditions of Enoughness) today, whether you choose to do the practices below, or you choose to do something else entirely, I wish you ease and space in your day.
Today, I have included two movement practices for you to choose from so you can enjoy whichever one feels more appealing to you in the moment.
In the still image from this 6 Minute Neck Mobility and Upper Body Stretch video from Move Coalition, the instructor is exercising on a mat on a low wooden platform outside in a grassy area with trees in the background. Their skin is lightly tanned, they have their brown hair in a ponytail, and they are wearing a black sports top and black shorts. They are demonstrating one of the exercises with their right knee and shoulder on the mat, their right arm is extended toward the camera, their left leg is extended back from their body and the ball of their left foot is on the mat, their left arm is extended towards the sky and they are looking upwards towards their right hand while the back of their head rests on the mat.
In this still image for 6-Minute Gentle Mobility for Hamstrings, Quads, & Hips by Dr. Kristie Ennis , the left side of the image is blue and has black text reading ‘Loosen Up Your Legs’ and the right side of the image shows the instructor, a smiling, light-skinned person with a tan and shoulder-length blonde hair who is wearing a black sports bra and shiny blue shorts, demonstrating one of the exercises on a pink yoga mat in a room with white walls and a grey floor. Their upper body is upright and their legs are both out to their left as they rest on their right hip. Both legs are flat on the floor at 90 degrees and their left knee is pointing to the camera while the bottom of their left foot faces the back wall, their right knee is pointing to the right and the bottom of their right foot is facing towards the left.
And here’s your mindfulness practice for today:
The still image for this 5 Minute Mindful Breathing video from Medistate Mind shows a scene in silhouette on the left and in the background and the title of the video in brown letters in the foreground on the right. On the left side is the silhouette of a person sitting crossed-legged with their hands raised and meeting palm to palm in prayer above their head. In the somewhat distant background is the outline of buildings and streetlights without many distinguishing features.
Despite yesterday’s list revision, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed this morning and I could feel myself tipping towards that kind of mental-wheel-spinning that happens when I can’t prioritize.
(I also refer to this as my brain’s ’if I can’t do everything then I won’t do anything’ mode.)
Luckily, I caught myself before the wheels started going too fast and I dragged up a piece of advice my sister and I hand back and forth as needed.
‘Pick something fun or pick something you’ll be really glad to have done.’
So, I am happy to say that I have now finished cleaning my fridge (glad to have that done!) and I picked up a really silly gift for my youngest kid (big fun!)
And, as a bonus, my tasks for this afternoon feel really clear.
So, Team, I would like to invite you borrow that piece of advice and help get the next part of your day started with something fun or something good to get done.
I suspect it will work well even if you aren’t feeling overwhelmed. 🙂
Whether you create mental space the same way I did, whether you choose the movement or meditation below, or whether you do something completely different, I wish you as much ease as possible today and always.
*****
Here’s our movement practice suggestion for today:
In the still image from this “7 Minute Nia® Dance Break with Meredith Amato: “Steal Drums”” from Nia Technique, the instructor is in the foreground extending their fist towards the camera. They have light skin, long brown hair pulled back into a bun, and they are smiling, they are wearing an orange sleeveless shirt. There are two other people in black shirts who can be partially seen in the background (there are additional people in the video) and the studio wall (brick with large windows) is visible behind them.
And here’s our mindfulness practice suggestion for today:
In the still image for this 5-minute Meditation from the CDC a person is seated outside on a cloudy day in a wicker ‘egg’ style chair with pink cushions and a blue blanket behind them. The person, who has short brown hair, light brown skin, and is wearing a pink sweater and white pants, is seated upright with their wrists resting on their knees and their hands hanging a little between their knees. They look restful and happy. There are a variety of plants on stands and in pots surrounding them and judging from the background, they are on a raised balcony of some sort.
