Depending on how you organize your calendar (and where you are in the world!) we’re either starting a new week or about to start one.
Either way, as you look to the week ahead, I hope you are able to imagine a little extra space for yourself in there. Not extra space to do more stuff, extra space for you to spend in a restful, restorative way.
I know it can be hard to fit that into your busy schedule but I hope you can figure out a way to fit yourself into your days.
I wish you ease with the process.
Today, we’re starting with a 5 Minute Full Body Stretch from Yoga with Adriene.
The still image is of Adriene, a woman with light skin and long brown hair who is wearing leggings and a tshirt, balancing on her left hand and her right knee while she extends her left leg behind her and her right arm in front of her. Her dog, Benji, is asleep on his side near her yoga mat.
And here’s a 3 Minute Guided Mindfulness Meditation from Haven Inspired.
Still image description: On the left side of the image is a woman with brown skin with elaborate tattoos on her shoulders. She has her hair pinned up on top of her head and her eyes are closed. She looks very peaceful. On the right side is the title of the video, the title of the channel, and the word subscribe with an image of the subscription button next to it.
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.
Oh, I just caught myself spending entirely too much time trying come up with a good opening paragraph for today’s post.
It’s way too easy to fall into those sorts of thinking habits isn’t it?
Even though I know that done beats perfect every time, I still fall for that ‘gotta get it right’ trick.
As if there is only one right way to start this post instead there being many, many ways to get started. And most of those many, many ways would work out just fine.
So, my friends, please learn from my mistake today.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to get everything right.
Instead, let yourself get started any old way you can AND try to accept that good enough is, indeed, good enough.
Is this the best post I have ever written?
Definitely not.
Does it get the message across AND include two videos for you to use to make a little space for yourself today?
It does!
Good luck with making space today, everyone.
Our first video today is from Yes2Next and they are leading you through a 10 Minute Gentle Brain-Body Workout.
Still image features the video title on the left and, on the right, the mother-daughter hosts are seated in chairs with one arm in the air and the opposite leg extended. The mother is an elderly woman in a black tracksuit with short grey hair and glasses. The daughter is a middle aged woman in a pink shirt and black pants with her greying hair in ponytail. They are both smiling.
And for our meditation today, we have a 2-Minute Focus Reset from Headspace. There are a couple of pauses in here when the instructor is giving the listener a moment longer than expected to follow the instructions so don’t worry that the video has stopped!
Still image features the video title in white and pink text on the left and concentric purple circles with a wedge of white/grey on the right. In the centre of the circle is a happy face with closed eyes.
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 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.
In this past week, I have been experimenting with my schedule to see how to create the softest day for myself.
To be clear, the softest day has nothing to do with whether I have work to do, it’s actually about minimizing any time-related stress and static. And I don’t mean stress and static from other people, I’m trying to work more cooperatively with my own brain here.
I’m figuring out at which point in the day my regular activities feel easiest or most straightforward. Or, to put it another way, when do these activities require the least thought and effort?
This will take longer than a week to figure out, of course, but I have to start somewhere.
Here’s what I’ve found out so far:
1- There are a lot of benefits to walking the dog earlier in the day.
Generally, unless I have a commitment that affects my schedule, I walk the dog either right after lunch or when I finish work for the day. Recently though, I have been walking her right after breakfast and before I start work and it’s been great.
Walking Khalee earlier means:
I have a clear time to start my work day (I work from home so this has always been a challenge.)
I don’t have to wonder when will be the best time to head out for our walk (my brain will mull that over all day if I let it.)
I get a good brain boost from the exercise (I can always use a bit more focus.)
I can free up my late afternoons for other things.
2 – I can get a lot done between 4:00-5:30PM.
I had a hint of this a few weeks back when I had some afternoon meetings and I had to shift my work later in the day. (I had walked the dog right before lunch a couple of days in a row so the end of the day was free.) I have always been trying to end my day around 4:00 or 4:30, thinking that it would be good to have the work day behind me as soon as possible.
Instead, it turns out that putting some of my ‘after work’ tasks in the middle of the day so I can work (especially on my writing) between 4:00-5:30pm is a really good idea. I don’t know if my brain just likes the break from work in the middle of the day or if it likes the ‘deadline’ feeling of 5:30pm (my husband and son finish work at 5:30 at get home at 5:45) but, either way, it seems to work. I feel really focused and determined at that time of day and I finish my work feeling good about it.
Oddly, I have also found that working until 5:30pm makes it a lot easier to head out for any evening commitments, too. I guess that supper feels like a break rather than feeling like the end of the day so my brain doesn’t mind doing something else afterwards?
3- I like doing yoga first thing in the morning AND right before bed.
As you can see, Khalee also likes to do yoga first thing. Image description: A photo of Khalee, a light haired dog, resting on my yoga mat. Our couch, book shelf, and lit Christmas tree are in the background of the photo.
Doing a little yoga when I first go downstairs in the morning feels good and helps me adjust to being awake. Doing a longer yoga session before I head to bed helps my brain tuck away the details of the day and helps me feel more rested.
Neither of these things are huge revelations but I was paying closer attention this past week and I really can tell that it is good for me to bookend my day that way.
Softer but still a ways to go
It’s obviously going to take more than a couple of weeks to undo the stress and challenges of a whole year. Being in stress mode is a habit now and it takes a while to unlearn a habit.
I am making progress though and I feel like I am learning some really important things about my schedule and about my approach to my day to day life.
The softening continues!
Wondering what this Finishing Soft business is all about?
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.
