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.
I don’t think of myself as a particularly introspective person, so I am a little surprised to discover that my preferred reading lately is mostly in support of my thinking for this blog.
On the go, I have:
Feminist City: A Field Guide, by Leslie Kern
“You Just Need To Lose Weight” And 19 Other Myths About Fat People, by Aubrey Gordon
The Book of The City of Ladies, by Christine de Pizan
I Just finished The Once and Future Sex , by Eleanor Janega.
I also participated in a Zoom panel on Finding Equity in The Low Car City, with Chris Bruntlett and Melissa Bruntlett. My next two acquisitions will be their books Curbing Traffic and Building The Cycling City.
And because all posts need a picture, here is my new bike, acquired this weekend. It has enough cargo bike features to make it really useful for running errands, and it has a step-through frame and a skirt guard on the chain so I can more easily cycle in a dress.
Black bicycle with a wooden box on the front, and a basket and panniers on the back.
Happy New Year, if you happen to be of Persian, Afghan or (many parts of) central Asian origin. To celebrate, here are some images of women athletes from Afghanistan, who have lost the ability to compete since the return of the Taliban to power, but not their desire. I found the protest photos of them in burqas, with their gear, to be very moving. Some have escaped Afghanistan and are continuing their athletic careers. Nowruz Mubarak to all of them: here’s hoping the next year will be better for all women who are unable to participate in sport.
Kimia Yousofi of Afghanistan is now living in Australia. Yousofi, shown running in a black track suit and hijab, was flag bearer for Afghanistan at the Tokyo Olympics. Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Here we are at the last day of 2022, the last day of December, the last day of my Making Space posts.
I hope that you have found these posts useful and that you have found your own ways to make space for yourselves in your days this month. I also hope that you have found (or are starting to find) ways to continue making space for yourselves in the days that follow.
And speaking of the days that follow – tomorrow, I start a series of ‘Go Team!’ posts that encourage you to be kind to yourself as you figure out the habits, systems, and practices you want to take on in the year ahead.
But before we get to that, I have one more thing to say about creating space for your future self and it goes like this:
New Year’s Day may be a symbolic time to start but you can add new ideas, habits and practices to your life at ANY TIME.
And, you can create your own symbolism or meaning around the time that you choose.
For example, even though I like the symbolism of starting new practices in a new year, I had a bit of sideways December so I couldn’t give a lot of thought to things I wanted to do in 2023.
Instead of putting pressure on myself to find time to focus on that, I decided to let December be what it was and that I would figure out what 2023 would look like once it arrived.
Or, to put it another way, I’m choosing to have Planuary instead of January.
By labelling next month as Planuary, I have given it a shape. I’m not going in without a plan and hoping things will just happen – that would never work for my ADHD brain. Instead, I’m planning to spend January figuring out what my plans could be.
And I’m inviting you to create space for your future self by doing something similar.
If you WANT to start something new sometime soon, you don’t have to come roaring out of the gate tomorrow. You can decide on your own terms and your own timeline when and how you want to get started.
You can plan to plan in Planuary.
You can write one thing on an index card and do that until you get bored with it.
You can make a giant list and a big chart and have a grand time with it (as long as you aren’t going to be mean to yourself if you have to change your plan – I can’t get behind that)
You can choose to just keep doing what you have been doing all along but add in the plan to be kinder to yourself in the process (THAT I can full endorse.)
Basically, I want to encourage you to give yourself the space to do things in your own way on your own schedule.
Your tomorrow-self doesn’t need to have it all figured out and doesn’t have to have the perfect plan.
Please be kind to yourself as you make space for future you to develop, expand, and think up cool and fun things to do.
NOTE:Have you ever seen DSri Seah’s Groundhog Day Resolutions monthly personal review system? It’s a cool way that they developed to check in with their resolutions and projects all year long. I love how they worked out a system that works for them without getting caught up in when things *should* be done during the year.
Here are our final videos for the Making Space series. At first I was looking for new year/end of year themed videos but there was such a variation in tone from video to video that I didn’t want to choose something that would be irksome. So, instead, I chose videos for calm and for energy/feeling good – I figured those could be most helpful.
I also chose a yoga video AND a cardio video so you could decide if you wanted to see the year out in a low-key way or in a burst of movement.
Whether you do these videos or do your own thing, I wish you ease, energy and lots of space for yourself as 2022 becomes 2023.
See you tomorrow for our first Go Team! post for 2023.
A video from the Yoga with Kassandra YouTube channel entitled ‘10 Min Morning Yoga for Calm. The still image features the instructor in light brown exercise clothing standing with her legs wide apart and her upper body folds forward toward the camera so she can touch her mat with the palms of her hands and her ponytail has flopped forward towards her mat. Text reading ‘10 Min Morning Yoga’ is overlaid on the upper left side of the image.
A PopSugar Fitness 10 Minute Feel-Good Cardio Workout with Deja Riley. The still image features the instructor standing in a white-walled studio with her arms in the air in a joyful sort of celebratory gesture (that is probably just part of an exercise movement but she looks celebratory to me.)
Another 5 Minute Mindful Meditation for Calm from the Great Meditations YouTube channel (I have really become a fan of that channel during this series!) The still age features light brown text reading ‘Calm 5 Minute guided meditation’ and a cartoon image of a person sitting in meditation with their arms, bent at the elbow, outstretched slightly to the sides in a welcoming or accepting gesture. Behind their head is either their long hair streaming upwards or a thought balloon that contains symbols of thoughts – question marks, ellipses, hearts, emojis etc. and behind their body there are symbols of tangible items like a clock, some gears, and the leaves of a plant.
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.
