I hope you have managed to plan, schedule, or squeeze a bit of extra space into this first week of December and I hope that a little extra fun made its way into your days as well.
Today, I’d like to remind you that there are lots of different ways to relax and have fun.
If you love getting dressed up and going to parties, that’s a great way to spend your time.
If you love watching movies at home in your pajamas, that’s also a great way to spend your time.
Please don’t feel pressured to do all of the social things and please make sure to respect your own needs, limits, and capacity when choosing how to spend your time.
Sure, we all can get a bit overscheduled this time of year – it can kind of go with the territory – but we probably have at least a little leeway in the what and the how and the when of participating in social events.
Speaking of choices, when you are making a little space for yourself today, feel free to choose these videos or to choose something else that serves you well.
Wishing you ease and fun, as always!
Here’s our movement practice for today:
The still image for this “10-Minute Vacation-Vibes Soca Workout” from PS Fit features three energetic and happy looking people in black workout clothes in the centre of the image. They are all slightly turned to the right and they have their arms slightly raised so their hands are in front of their right hips, palms down. The background is bright pink.
And here’s our mindfulness practice for today:
The still image for Michigan Medicine‘s “Mindfulness Breathing and Directed Doodling” video shows a person’s hands holding a green Sharpie marking and making lines in a figure 8 on a white sheet of paper that is resting on a wooden table. There are already blue lines in the same pattern on the paper.
Since the last full moon of 2025 will rise this evening (some people call it the Cold Moon which I find delightful), I thought it would be fun to have some moon-themed videos and links in today’s post.
According to some, this full moon is a sign to do a little introspection and to release things that no longer serve us. (see the Instagram link below for more on this)
Whether or not you follow or participate in any sort of woo or any sort of alternative spiritual practices, I’m sure you can see the benefit in taking time to reflect and to release things (even though it is easier said than done!) whether that happens now or next week.
Anyway, here are our practices to make some space for ourselves today and I’ve thrown in an IG post and a relaxing ambience video just for fun.
Whether you do these practices or something entirely different, I wish you ease and space today and always.
Here’s today’s movement practice:
A 15 minute Moon Practice from Yoga with Adriene. In the still image she is standing on her grey yoga mat in front of a window. There are plants and Benji (her sleeping dog) on the left side of the screen and an end table with more plants on it on the right. She is wearing burgundy leggings and a purple sleeveless tshirt. Her feet are wide apart and her legs are bent at the knee, her upper arms are raised to shoulder height and her forearms are extended upwards.
And here’s our meditation practice for today:
This video from A Big Breath In is called Full Moon Feels 5 Minute Guided Meditation and the still image shows the title against a light pinkish yellow background. There is a mandala drawn in the centre of the screen with part of the title above it and part below.
I chose this post from Arlyn Flower Farm on IG because it had a good combination of information and reflective questions. The still image shows a very close-up depiction of the moon.
And, finally, here’s an ‘ambience’ video that I like to have on my screen when I am doing paperwork or reading my book. I thought that some of you might like it, too.
This video from Dead of Night is called Vintage Christmas Window Ambience and the still image shows a desk and a view out of the window. Outside you can see a Victorian street lamp, the moon, some houses, and some snow falling. Inside you can see books, a lamp, a tree made of book pages, several candles, a warm chocolate drink, and just a small piece of a Christmas tree in the left corner.
Since these posts are about making space for ourselves in December, today I’m considering our mental space.
When I have a busy time ahead, I often forget that making a list makes things better.
Not only does it clear out my brain but it also lets me see just how much I am trying to take on in the weeks ahead. Seeing it all written (or typed) out helps me to notice if I am taking on too much (almost certainly), if there are unnecessary things crowding my to do list, and if there are items I can reschedule or ask others for help with.
I know the suggestion to make a list isn’t new but since I often find myself ‘too busy to make a list’, I thought you might find yourself in the same situation.
So, here’s your gentle reminder that making a list frees up some brainspace, helps you to see the sheer volume of little tasks that are bouncing around in your head, and it can help you decide which tasks are vital and which can wait.
Meanwhile, though, if a list will add to your stress, feel free to ignore me. You are the boss of you!
And, as always, I wish you ease and peace of mind as you make some extra space for yourself in your own life.
In other news, here are your movement and mindfulness links for today:
Step 1: Strength training!
Here’s a strength training workout from Senior Shape Fitness called “10 Minute Full Body Strength Workout for Beginners & Seniors” and the still image shows the instructor side-on facing to the right. They have their long dark hair in a ponytail and they are wearing dark blue leggings and a light blue top. They are lifting small blue weights and smiling. The wall behind them had a blueish tinge and there is a thin tree with large leaves on the right side of the image.
Step 2: Meditation
Today’s video, “5 Minute Meditation for Focus & Clarity | Beat Procrastination & Distraction”, is from Lavendaire. The still image is of a person sitting in a meditation posture (cross-legged, upright, eyes closed, arms slightly forward so the backs of the hands are on the knees) The person is wearing white pants and black shirt and looks very peaceful sititng on a white couch with a two photos of a grassy field on the wall behind them.
Here we are at Day 2 and I already have a favour to ask you.
In the midst of your plan to make a bit more space for yourself this season, I’m wondering if you would consider scheduling two small things that are important to you in the weeks ahead.
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy – it could be reading a book or doing a puzzle or calling friend to catch up or dancing to specific song, or walking to look at lights or trees or the river.
It really doesn’t matter what the two small things are. What matters is that consider those things to be just as important as anything else you plan to do in the next few weeks.
Treat those plans like an appointment with a doctor or a meeting with a client – something that is pretty firmly scheduled but if something goes awry it will be rescheduled, not cancelled.
This is another way to create some space for yourself in December.
Because if you are like me, things that are just of interest to me tend to get shuffled aside for “when I get everything else done.”*
It’s never my plan to neglect my own fun but sometimes it just seems easier to put it aside for later.
So, my two definite plans for myself are: to go to the Santa Claus parade in my city on Saturday and to do a puzzle on the afternoon of the 21st.
If you’d like to tell me your plans in the comments, I’d love to read them!
So, with that said, here are two ways you can make a little space for yourself in your mind, your body, and your life today.
Wishing you ease, as always!
I chose some HIIT cardio for today’s movement practice but the instructor offers some modified movements if this is a bit much for you today. Remember, as always, that you are free to choose something else to do or to just do a small section. You are the boss of you!
This video is called”10 Minute Intense Cardio Party HIIT to the Beat” and it’s from the Fit by Mik channel. The still image shows the instructor in exercise clothes (blue leggings and a sports bra) with their hair in a ponytail doing an exercise where they are bringing their left elbow and right knee together. Their smile and the way their ponytail is flying out to the side gives a energetic feeling to the image. The title of the video is on the left side of the screen.
And here’s our mindfulness practice for today:
This video is “5 Minute Guided Meditation Quick Reset” from Meditate with Antonella and the still image is of several items on a brown table. Only two of the items can be clearly seen because the title text is covering part of the screen. The scene is dimly lit, there is a plant in a brown shallow dish in the upper right and in the center is a lit, light yellow, pillar candle in the same kind of round, brown, shallow dish.
*Yeah, there is no such time as “everything is done” – there is always more that “could” be done. We all end up just making decisions about when we are going to have to stop or when we have done “enough” so we might as well fit our own stuff in there now instead of hoping time will materialize at the end of our tasks.
Welcome to another year of finding some space for ourselves and our needs amidst the hustle and bustle of the end of the year.
Whether you are celebrating a holiday this month, whether it is the last month of the year, or whether it is just a string of ordinary days in an ordinary month, the ambient hurrying stressfulness of this month can get to us all.
In the face of all of that, my Making Space posts are not about giving us something ELSE to do.
Instead, I am hoping they can be a reminder that you deserve space in your own life, that you don’t need to dedicate every second of every day to everyone else’s needs and wants.
I want to encourage to take a break in whatever form works best for you whether that includes the exercise/meditation videos I share or something else entirely, I am wholeheartedly encouraging you to make more space for yourself in your own life.
That might mean saying no to some things.
It might mean choosing not to do some other things.
It might mean scaling some things back.
It will definitely mean being kind to yourself.
So, with all of that said, let’s get started on the Making Space 2025 project with some stretching and a short meditation…or with whatever makes you feel like yourself today.
Wishing you ease 💚
Your movement practice for today:
This video 5 minute Daily Stretch is from Kayleigh Cohen Strength. The still image shows the instructor in a black shirt and green leggings in their living room with their arms stretched over their head. There is a dog sleeping on a green couch in the back on the right and on the left is some wood paneling and some plants.
And here’s today’s meditation:
This Meditation for Deep Calm is from Sarah Beth Yoga and the still image shows the instructor from the waist up sitting with their head bowed and their hands in prayer position in the centre of the screen. In the background, which is slightly out of focus, is a yoga mat, a coffee table and some plants.
PS – Katy Bowman of Nutritious Movement is hosting an advent calendar of exercises again this year. Her 2025 focus addresses the stress that tech can put on our bodies.
My workouts came to a halt the end of October. The scramble down to New Brunswick was quickly followed by a return home. My beloved and I took turns being away for work. Starting today we will both be home TOGETHER. What a novel concept!
So we are back to strength training this morning.
I’m walking the dog again.
Strava sees the unusual gaps in my activities. So does my Apple tracking apps.
I feel a pang of guilt and let it go. I mean. It’s understandable to not make everything work all the time!
Dr Suess in “Oh the Places You’ll Go” has a line about “Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t.”
And it reminds me that sometimes you need to not do the workout.
I move my body for my wellbeing. Part of that is having a buffer so when I can’t be as active my body is ok.
Walking is the last activity to fall off my plate and the first thing I pick up. It really helps my back and my brain.
Next is strength training. I love feeling strong and capable. I need a reliable block of time with Michel so we can grunt together.
Then comes the indoor spinning. Whew. Ya. I need time and motivation for that so it is sprinkled sparingly into my calendar.
I’m glad my beloved and I are committed to caring for our bodies. It’s a joint project done in parallel.
Nat and Michel are dressed in cozy winter clothes, dusted in snow, smiling after a walk in a snow squall. It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how!
December’s calendar from Action for Happiness is all about small actions you can take to improve your own happiness levels while offering support and help to those around you.
And while many of us are inclined to be as generous with our time and money as we possibly can at this time of year, that inclination can also be overwhelming. So, it can be really helpful to have some ready-made suggestions available for when we need them. You can even add them to your Google Calendar.
Image description: The December 2025 Action for Happiness Calendar. Each day of the month lists a different December Kindness to try – a small action like “Look for something positive to say to everyone you speak to” or “Say hello to your neighbour and brighten up their day.” Each calendar block is either blue or green and the bottom of the calendar features cartoon images of some of the suggested activities including things like helping someone carry something upstairs, or picking up litter.
So, go ahead, try a few, try them all, or make up your own list of small ways to do good throughout December.
As a sidenote, I’ll be back with daily “Making Space 2025” posts starting on December 1 so you can use this calendar for prompts to be kind to others and my posts as prompts to be kind to yourself all month.
It may not be easy but it will be straightforward.
This video, entitled “Giving is a Gift” features Vanessa King from Action for Happiness. In this still image, she is sitting on the left hand side and the title of the video is in red on the right hand side. Ms. King has shoulder-length light brown hair, she is wearing a red jacket with a black shirt under it, and she has long earrings that are 3 stacked stars. She is smiling and looks happy. There is a narrow table with vases and other decorative items on it in the background.
Sometimes, things move slowly (including me) and it is a lot easier on my brain if I just accept that pace and keep going.
This is definitely one of those times.
November has been a good month (yay for birthdays!) but it has also been a month with lots of rain, lots of meetings, lots of things to get done – and a few inconvenient migraines thrown into the mix.*
So, with all of that said, here are the updates:
My Walking Challenge
I’m 37% of the way through my walking challenge and I have been enjoying the little bit of extra motivation to get moving and the little bit of extra incentive to walk a little further.
image description: a screen capture of the activity screen from my challenge app. The top of the screen is a spooky scene depicted in purple and green. (That line rhymes!) below that is a map of Salem, Massachusetts with the route marked out in blue and icons representing different people doing the challenge at whatever point they are on the route. Below that are my stats: I have covered 37% of the distance in 39% of the time I have allocated for this challenge. I have completed 18.07 km and I have 29.73 km to go. I have completed 22 days of the challenge and I have 34 remaining.
While I *could* set my tracker to include all of the movement I do in a day, I decided that I only wanted to count deliberate activity. So, my walks count and so did raking the leaves but bringing in the groceries doesn’t contribute to the challenge.
My 11 Things Challenge
Here are my things-in-progress:
Journal while sitting on the floor once a week – I’ve done this twice.
Practice those three tricky TKD patterns for at least 30 minutes (total) – I’ve done 10 minutes of practice.
Rake up some of the backyard leaves (I’m leaving some for the bugs!) – I spent 30 minutes and filled up two paper lawn bags with leaves so this one is done!
Do at least one 10 minute meditation per week – I’ve done this twice.
Find a way to elevate keyboard for a standing writing session – I’m working with my Brother-in-Law to make this happen. By the way, I’m writing this on his birthday (Nov 17) so Happy Birthday, Dan! 💚🎂
Not bad, hey?
(The reason I’m describing my progress as slow is because I haven’t gotten to some of the bigger items on my list. I’ll get there though.)
I’m awarding myself a gold star for my efforts so far and I’ll update you further in a couple of weeks. ⭐
PS: My sister shared this short video with me recently and I found it really helpful. It’s good to be reminded that the purpose of making a list is not necessarily to get everything on the list done. Instead, it can be about ensuring that you get more done than you would have without the list. Good perspective shift, hey?
*Is there such a thing as a convenient migraine? Of course not! But some migraines are more inconvenient than others. This month they have all happened when I could just stop and take good care of myself without too much of a scramble.
I’m writing this on Monday, November 10 (a.k.a. My Birthday!) and I have been pondering* what to write to you about all day.
I knew that I wanted to write my favourite kind of post (a Go Team! post, of course) but I wasn’t sure what to focus on.
And then it struck me.
While I am generally comfortable asking for things I need, my ADHD can complicate the process of asking for some things that I want. I have trouble telling if I am asking for too much, if I am imposing, or if my request is annoying beyond measure.
Intellectually, I know that, as a fairly helpful, relatively reasonable person who will definitely go out of her way for people, I am probably not doing any of those things but my brain will still worry about inconveniencing people.
On my birthday, though, I give that part of my brain a break. Somehow, the fact that it is my birthday makes it a bit easier for me to ask for favours, for small indulgences, for things that would normally make me wonder if I am putting the other person through too much trouble.
And, even though it will be the day after my birthday by the time you read this, I am going to extend the brain break and ask you to do me a favour, to indulge me about something.
Today, would you consider giving yourself a little break?
You know, as a birthday present to me.
That break might look like taking a little extra time to rest.
Or it might look like changing the amount of time you spend exercising/meditating/colouring/chatting with a friend/lying on the floor so it fits your needs today.
It might involve asking your brain to stop churning up the same few mean thoughts over and over. (Try telling it that Christine asked you to shelve that list for now.)
It might mean looking in the mirror and nodding (as in, ‘Yeah, I’m alright’) instead of being hard on yourself about something.
It might mean recognizing, just for today, that slow progress is still progress.
It might mean considering the possibility that you can pick your own goals for fitness or wellness instead of being pushed around by the fitness industry.
It might mean choosing to say something kind to yourself.
It might mean saying no to something that doesn’t work for you right now.
It might mean choosing a fun workout, or a hard workout, or an easy workout without letting your brain try to tell you what you *should* (shudder) do instead.
Basically, I’d love to see you give yourself a bit of time away from any habit or behaviour or thought process that doesn’t help you be kinder to yourself AND/OR that makes it harder for you to head in the direction you want to go.
You know the kind of thing I mean – the stuff that is often described as ‘self-discipline’ but is really just the kind of crappy stuff that a mean person would say to you or would give you grief about planning to do.
Please, please, please, do me a birthday favour and take a break from that mean voice, that mean approach, that utterly unsupportive voice that keeps trying to boss you into an impossible place.
And, Team, I know this isn’t going to be an easy thing to do so I am not only offering you a gold star for your efforts, I’m offering you a heart in my favourite colour so you can know that I am sending a little extra love to help you with the hard work of thinking about things a little differently today.
Go Team Us!
Image description: a small drawing of a shiny gold star with black trim surrounded by small black polka dots. The card with the drawing on it is propped up against a black surface.Image description: a drawing of a green heart with black trim surrounded by small black dots. The drawing is propped up against a black surface
PS – If you want to have a nice snack (cake, maybe?) or take a good nap or read a fun book, I would also happily accept that as a birthday indulgence.
*That word always makes me think of Pinky and the Brain. You know the – “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” “I think so, Brain, but what if the chicken won’t wear the nylons?” – kind of thing. So, for your amusement, here’s a list of all of Pinky’s ponderings from the show.
On October 7, I made a plan for 10 activities for the 10th month and even though October included a storytelling festival, a week of rain, a week of being sick, and quite a bit of volunteer work, I still managed to do 8 out of 10 activities.
Here’s what got done:
Flail along with a Zumba dance video – Rating: BIG FUN.
Do a yoga video that is longer than 30 minutes – Rating: Hard to stick with it.
Do a meditation session that is longer than 10 minutes – Rating: No problem!
Do a strength training session with exercise bands – Rating: Enjoyable! I’m going to stick with it.
Write in my journal while on the floor – Rating: My body liked it.
Spend at least 20 minutes stretching – Rating: Loved it! I’ve made it a regular practice.
Try a kickboxing video – Rating: Pretty fun. I’ll do more.
Plant bulbs for next spring – Rating: Satisfying! I didn’t plan all of the bulbs but I did some and I’m happy about it.
I enjoyed all of these activities and I was really glad I chose them.
I was also really glad that I had the slight pressure of having publicly committed to them. Without that commitment, I might have let a few of them slide and that would have been a shame.
I really feel that pushing myself a little bit to get these things done added to my fun this month.
I actually did many of the exercise-related ones more than once and I have gotten back into leaving my yoga mat unfurled on the living room floor so I can stretch whenever I watch TV – a beneficial habit, for sure.
As for the ones I didn’t get done?
I’m happy to report that I don’t feel badly about those at all.
I may not have been able to…
Meet someone for a walk instead of for tea
Walk to a meeting
But that was because of circumstances, weather, and timing, it had nothing to do with my interest, willingness, or motivation. None of my meetings happened to be within walking distance and I ended up having to cancel my plans to meet for a walk instead of for tea because I was sick.
So with a satisfying success rate for 10 things for the 10th month, I’m now considering 11 things for the 11th month (a.k.a. My BIRTHDAY MONTH!)
There are some repeats in here but I’m cool with that.
Journal while sitting on the floor once a week
Practice those three tricky TKD patterns for at least 30 minutes (total)
Try a calisthenics video
Continue the stretch band strength training program from October
