I don’t know about you but I could use a little energy boost right now so I picked out two energy focused videos for today.
Here’s a 5 minute meditation for Feeling Full of Energy from Great Meditation:
Still image is a cartoon drawing of a person with light brown skin and long dark hair, their eyes are closed and they look peaceful. There’s a semi-circular mandala-style drawing in shades of orange behind their head.
And here’s a 1 Minute Energy Booster workout from Lucy Wyndham-Read:
Still image is a black and white photo of the instructor, a white woman, in exercise clothes reaching her right arm toward her right foot while she looks downward, her left arm is extended upwards and behind her. The title of the video is in red and black next to the photo.
At this point in the year, our weekends really get packed with various tasks – fun and otherwise – and it can be extra tricky to make space for ourselves. When you are planning out your weekend, please try to keep an eye on your energy levels and see when, where, and how you might be able to take a few minutes to catch your breath – literally and metaphorically.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
Notice that I asked about how your practice was coming along, I didn’t ask if you have perfected the art of Making Space.
Some days we’ll find it easy to make space, other days it will be hard, and some days it will be impossible.
Please kind to yourself about your practice, no matter what kind of day today is.
After all, like the various memes on the topic say, if being mean to yourself made things easier it would have worked by now.
Wherever and however you are in your practice, I wish you ease and as much space as possible.
Our meditation today is from Mindful Creative Muse and involves literally drawing your breath – on paper!
The still image for this video shows the words ‘draw the breath’ in white letters against a blue background on the left side and a piece of white paper with black vertical lines on it on the right.
Our movement suggestion today is the delightfully named Stress Less Movement Snack from Trisha Durham. It’s a little longer than the videos I usually suggest but you can just do as much as you have time for. No need to add stress while doing a less stress video, right?
The still image for this video includes the video title against a pink background on the left and a photo of the instructor doing a yoga pose on the right.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
Since we have already focused on hands, let’s put our best foot forward for Day 6.
If you aren’t up to putting your *best* foot forward, just put your okayest foot forward or just put one foot in front of the other.
The idea that we have to be at our best all the time is nonsense.
Sometimes we are at our best, sometimes we are at our okayest, sometimes we just show up, and sometimes we choose to rest – all of those things are good choices, depending on the day and on the resources available to us in the moment.
Wow, that was kind of a long tangent from an offhand segue from hands to feet, hey? Such are the perils of reading my writing!
So, before you can put any foot of any kind forward, it’s a good idea to make sure that our feet are rested and relaxed. That’s where this video from the Yoga with Bird YouTube Channel comes in.
The still image for this video shows the instructor, Bird, sitting cross-legged and massaging her right foot with both hands. She is sitting on a brown yoga mat and there are plants in the background.
I have been running (ha!) with the feet theme so I wanted to use a walking meditation for today but I was concerned about the lack of inclusivity in that idea. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to find this meditation from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability‘s channel that is actually inclusive of people who use wheelchairs or move in ways that don’t include walking.
The still image for this video is a photo at ground height, with a path and plants seen through the silhouette of the wheels of a wheelchair.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
It’s Day 5 and I’m really hoping you are figuring out how to make at least some small spaces for yourself in your day.
I’ve picked out two 5 minute videos for today (it *is* Day 5 after all!) but before we get to those, I have a suggestion for you.
If you are like me, you probably have a few big tasks in the weeks ahead that you want to have finished but you are absolutely dreading. Maybe the task feels way too big, maybe it’s a task you hate, maybe you are afraid that once you get started you’ll get stuck working on it forever…ok, maybe that last one is just me. 😉
When I have one of those tasks ahead of me, I tend to make it into ‘A Thing.’ *
I capitalized ‘A Thing’ and put it in quotes because it’s my personal shorthand for when I have let my dread of a task turn the task itself into a huge monster. It’s no longer just an annoying or difficult task, it’s a whole ‘Thing.’
And I never want to start a whole ‘Thing.’
However, experience has taught me that the only way to turn ‘A Thing’ back into a thing is to get started on it.
And often, the only way to get started is to give myself a really short amount of time to work on it. The amount of time needs to be so short that there is no way for me to actually finish it in that time. And, in fact, the amount of time is so short that I can’t even make visible progress.
My victory is not in how much I get done, it’s in spending a small amount of time on ‘A Thing.’
And usually once I have spent that small amount of time, ‘A Thing’ becomes a thing and I can make plans for how to move forward.
So, today, on Day 5 of Making Space 2023, I am going to make a little brain space for myself by working for 5 minutes – and ONLY 5 minutes – on ‘A Thing.’
Feel free to join me by working for 5 minutes on any task that might be ‘A Thing’ for you.
Remember, the 5 minutes timeframe is the victory.
This is about breaking the spell, not about making progress on the task.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:
This is fun 5 Minute Movement Break of Afrobeats Dance from the YouTube channel for UBC’s Rec Program –
Still image is of a man in a tank top touching his fingers to the brim of his hat. He is looking to the lower left of the screen and the background is various shades of green triangles coming to a point behind him.
I really like how this video incorporates mindfulness into an ordinary activity, referring to it as an ‘informal’ meditation. This is a 5 Minute Mindful Coffee Break from Katie McLaughlin’s YouTube channel. Feel free to drink tea instead, I did!
The still image is of a latte in a white cup. Someone’s fingers are visible around the base of the cup and they are pouring cream (milk?) onto the surface to create a flower-like shape. (I don’t drink lattes or any coffee at all so I may have all of the terms wrong here.)
*I’m not sure if the whole ‘A Thing’ thing is an ADHD tendency or if it is an everybody tendency but I hope it comes in handy for you either way.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
I don’t know about you but when I am trying to make space for myself, I often think really big – I want to get away for the day or I want 3 or 4 hours to work on a project. And that’s great when it can happen but, for me at least, that’s very unlikely at this time of year.
I have to keep reminding myself that creating a little bit of space for myself is helpful and helps me feel more relaxed and focused.
So, in keeping with that note-to-self, today’s videos are short and focused on your hands.
(insert your own hand-related joke here. Some suggestions: We have to take a hands-on approach to making space! Hands up if you want a little space! I’m getting a grip on this making space thing! These videos are handy!)
Anyway, Team, please take good care of yourself today. Even if the only space you can create is for an extra deep breath.
Still image: The instructor, a woman with brown hair in a low ponytail that is swept forward over her shoulder, is standing facing the camera with her back to two windows. Her forearms are raised almost to shoulder height and she has her fingers curled slightly as if she is in the middle of wiggling them.
In keeping with today’s focus on hands, in this video from massage therapist Rachel Richards, she demonstrates ‘5 Finger Breathing’ a relaxation technique in which you move your opposite index finger along your hand while breathing in a specific pattern.
Still image: a woman with long brown hair is sitting with hands up next to her face. One hand is open, palm to the camera, and she has the index finger of her other hand extended to touch her opposite hand.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
I felt like Making Space for fun today so I thought I’d bring you along with me.
When things feel busy, we often ditch the fun things from our to do lists so we’ll have more time to do other stuff.
I understand that impulse (and I often unconsciously do the same thing) but it’s not a good idea.
It’s hard on your brain when everything is all drudgery, duty, and obligation -especially when it goes on for too many days in a row.
So, to prevent things from getting even harder on your brain, I dare you to add a bit of fun to your day.
And I hope these videos help you get into a fun frame of mind:
In this video from The Fitness Marshall, the team is dancing to Barbie Girl by Aqua. The still image shows 4 people in brightly coloured clothing making exaggerated dance gestures.
This video is designed for kids but the advice is good and the video is fun so I think adults can use it, too.
This video from GoNoodle is a destressing ‘melting’ exercise to help people cope with that frozen feeling many of us get when we’re tense. The still image is mostly blue and shows a blue cartoon person who is leaning to one side.
For a little bonus fun, here’s a relaxing drawing exercise.
A drawing video from Lilytopia Garden. The still image shows a drawing of a square filled with wavy shapes filled in with lines that repeat the outline shape. The artist is holding a pencil toward the middle of the shape.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
I hope you found a way to make a little space for yourself in your day yesterday but, if not, give it a try today.
Please make sure you aren’t hard on yourself about trying to make space. Some days will be easier than others, just do what you can with the resources you have on any given day.
And remember that giving yourself space can involve something besides exercise and meditation. It might be taking time for a second cup of tea or another chapter of your book. It might look like deciding NOT to do something that is usually on your list this time of year. It might involve choosing a simpler version of a regular task or asking for help with some part of that task.
No matter what ‘Making Space’ looks like for you today, I hope you find some ease.
Now, on to the videos:
Since we are still warming up for the month of December, I thought this easy warm-up video from the mother and daughter team of Aiko and April with the Yes2Next YouTube channel was a good choice for today.
I really like the friendly way they talk to each other.
The still image from this embedded video shows two seniors, a mother and daughter. The mother is seated and reaching her right arm overhead and to the left. She is wearing dark pants and a purple sweatshirt. The daughter is standing with both arms overhead and she is wearing dark pants and vivid pink tshirt.
The still image on this embedded video is a cartoon drawing of a person in loose clothing looking very peaceful as they sit cross-legged on a cloud. The background is light blue and there is text on the right side that reads ‘Floating in the Clouds.’
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
Yes, I know that may feel impossible right now. Yes, I know you may have a lot to do.
But, you know what?
You don’t have to wear yourself out in order to get that stuff done.
You deserve time to yourself, time to take care of yourself, time to do something that makes you feel more like you.
You deserve to have space in your own life.
I took this on my walk with Khalee on Thursday morning. I felt really happy and restful as I was strolling along and I wanted to capture an image that would conjure up those feelings for me again. Image description: a photo taken from the sidewalk facing towards the back of someone’s house. There are a lot of snow-covered trees and a stretch of snow-covered ground between me and their fence and the sun is shining between the trees onto the snow. The photo has a crisp feeling to it.
Whether you are finishing up stuff for the end of the year, preparing for a holiday or just slogging through a bunch of regular stuff, this time of year feels busy and the busy-ness will try to creep into every spare second.
If you wait for free time to appear before you do things for yourself, you’ll be waiting a long time.
But if you create some space – even just by pausing for an extra long breath, by doing one less thing, by looking for places where things can be dialed back a little – you can have a little time for yourself much sooner.
Now, to be clear, I know there are difficult situations in which there is literally no way for someone to create space for themselves and I am truly sorry if you are in one of those times right now. I wish you ease and peace of mind as you make your way through your challenges.
However, for most of us, this rushed and busy season can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The fact that it feels busy adds to the busy-ness. The ambient stress adds to our stress. Our crowded schedules make our brains feel even more crowded than they need to be.
Now, I’m NOT saying that finding a little space for yourself will make life easy.
And I’m NOT saying that meditation and exercise will clear your schedule.
What I’m saying is that making space for yourself in your own life will make all it easier to handle everything else.
Making space for yourself will help you feel a little better, even if nothing else changes.
BUT
This isn’t a group challenge.
This isn’t another to do list item.
These posts are an offering – two small ways that you can find a little space each day in December.
You can take them, you can leave them, or you can do something else.
No matter what you choose or don’t choose, I am here to cheer you on and remind you that your needs matter – especially at this busy time of year.
I have a bit more explanation and a few useful links in the ‘About Making Space 2023’ section below but let’s get started with our meditation and exercise, shall we?
A 3-minute meditation exercise for beginners. Still image is of a yellow circle hovering above a green wavy horizon.
And while most of you are probably already out of bed, maybe you could manage a little bit of a lie-down while you give these stretches from Ask Dr Jo a try?
A video entitled ‘Stop Morning Back Pain: 3 Simple Stretches You Can Do In Bed.’ Still image shows the instructor Dr. Jo wearing grey track pants and blue shirt, lying on her back on a bed. She has one knee bent with her foot flat on the bed and the other knee lifted toward her chest with her foot in the air and her toes pointing upward.
About Making Space 2023:
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.
In 2021, I started doing daily December reminders with a post called Give Yourself Some Space, and that’s how the ‘Making Space‘ December tradition began. Throughout December 2021 and 2022, I wrote a short post that included two videos – one for exercise and one for meditation – and a bit of encouragement for you to make space for yourself at this busy time of year.
These posts are not about cramming more things into your month, they reminding you that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and that you are worth taking good care of.
Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need at 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. Just do whatever you can to give yourself a little more breathing room.
So, some of these posts may be long and some may be short but please know that every single one of them is written with the hope that you can find a little ease in your day, whatever that looks like for you.
PS – If you are already feeling overwhelmed by the thought of the month ahead, you might find this old article of mine helpful. December is like a messy closet, here’s how to get it back on track. I’m not actually too concerned with you being ‘on track’ but I do want you to have peace of mind and I hope the suggestions in that piece can help you move in that direction.
Earlier this year I started a new hobby: ringing in a handbell choir. (See what is a bell choir.) It’s not a physical activity per se, but we see health holistically around here and I’ll bring it back to the fitness stuff.
My previous experience with playing music is next to nil. My only musical training was when I was nine: less than two years of organ lessons and I faked sick for the final recital. I even missed mandatory band class later in my youth because we moved school systems.
So, without the ability to read music it’s no exaggeration that I’m a weak ringer. My mistakes are also easy to notice when I play with folks who have been ringing in church choirs for years. I am also the youngest person with the exception of the conductor, who motivates to keep ringing.
How? She is encouraging, and when she is not actively encouraging she still withholds any negativity. She maintains a neutral positive face, the kind you’re supposed to have when you interview someone for a job. Sometimes she asks only some of us to replay certain sections, and she slows us down, but she never draws attention to me when I make mistakes and I never catch disappointed looks.
I know it’s not always easy for more seasoned folks—especially in groups—to exercise patience around novices. On Monday nights at my curling club I see Scott McDonald giving “Learn to Curl” lessons, and I think: how does this high-ranking curler train these totally new curlers and not get frustrated? Perhaps good trainers are experts, but not all experts are good trainers.
Also, perhaps in times of declining numbers in bell choirs and curling clubs, some folks know they must check their impatience because of what will happen if they don’t. When errors are frequent and progress is slow, novices like me can get discouraged and feel like quitting, even in a supportive learning environment.
So here’s my point: My bell choir experience has reminded me that encouragement and praise are important, even when (especially when?) novices make mistakes. If you are good at something, you may notice mistakes that others make, but it may not help to point them out, even in the spirit of helpfulness. Newbies are probably trying even harder than you are to be patient with themselves. Instead, kind words (even if they seem unearned) might help folks stay in activities that need numbers—so you can keep doing them too.
I’m not stuck on one particular task or in one area of life. I’m not frozen in place.
I’m just kind of metaphorically walking through mud in the various things I’m trying to do, even the routine stuff
This isn’t a crisis situation. I am not in any particular despair. I’m just moving reaaaaaaaaaallllllllyyy slowly.
And I’m trying to just let myself move that way.
I’m trying to avoid the temptation to just push harder.
I’m trying to take it easy on myself, to just keep inching forward, sticking to whatever version of my routines feels do-able on a given day, and trying my okayest for everything I have to do.
We don’t have to push ourselves in every area of our lives every day.
Sometimes, we can just move a little bit at a time.
So, Team, if you’re feeling a bit stuck, a bit slow, if you’re not seeing any progress, I invite you to join me being kind to yourself about it while you just inch forward.
In fact, it’s okay if you centimetre forward or millimetre forward or just wait for a minute while you catch your metaphorical breath.
And I’m offering you this gold star in recognition of your hard work – whatever that work looks like today, or tomorrow, or whenever.
A drawing of a star outlined in black and filled with concentric circles of gold. Speckles of gold decorate the paper around the star and the whole drawing is resting on a dark blue surface with blue shapes in a slightly lighter blue.
