The holiday season can bring out a range of emotions and become overwhelming for a lot of people. It’s easy to get caught up in buying presents, traveling to visit family and all the delicious food that you’re cooking and eating. And with a pandemic still relevant, adjusting our holiday plans might be necessary for safety concerns. With so much happening during the holiday season, it might be difficult to be joyful. At Alltrust, we’re partnered with eMindful to encourage mindful practices every day, especially during the holidays. We understand the stress and tensions that can be associated with this time and want to help you truly enjoy the celebrations.
Finding Joy This Holiday Season
The past two years have been difficult for everyone and spreading joy this season might seem like a difficult task to accomplish; but with mindfulness, you can bring back the joy to the celebrations this year. Having mindfulness practices on hand can help. Mindfulness is all about being attentive and open to the present moment, without judgment. You can practice mindfulness while focusing on joy. This can be sitting quietly and enjoying your morning coffee or catching up with a family member.
The more you focus on the feeling of joy in your daily life, the more you will begin to experience joy. It’s an attitude that can be cultivated through mindfulness practices. When you intentionally cultivate joy, you discover that it can be right in front of you.
9 Mindfulness Techniques for Joy
- Savor the moment. Take the time to slow down and check in with how you’re feeling and what emotions you’re experiencing. Look for the feeling of joy. For most, joy isn’t a typical emotion you notice on a daily basis, so it might take a moment to recognize the true feeling of joy. You need to take that time to reflect on joy so it can become easier for our bodies and brains to become familiar with that feeling.
- Joy’s complements. Observing other similar emotions to joy such as appreciation or gratitude can lead you to joy. Appreciation and gratitude are great ways to start your practice. Starting each morning with a reflection on what you’re genuinely grateful for is an excellent mindfulness practice. As well as writing down in a gratitude journal each day.
- Use the hard times to find the good. Going through a difficult time can sometimes help highlight the positive aspects of your life. Those periods of difficulty can deepen your appreciation for even the smallest things. You can use that time to focus your attention on the good rather than directing your attention to the bad.
- Experience it with your family. It can be easier to find and acknowledge joy in your life if those around you are feeling it too. Explain to your family and friends what joy means to you and encourage them to seek it out as well. Everyone can use some joy in their lives and benefit from bringing awareness to their emotions. Share some of your mindfulness practices with your loved ones so everyone can experience it together.
- Treat yourself. The holiday season is all about giving, and that includes giving to yourself. People often shift their focus to those around them and forget about taking care of themselves. It’s important to take care of ourselves and make our well-being a priority, especially during the holiday season as it can be stressful. Take some time for yourself, go to a spa, read a good book, or have a decadent meal. Never stop prioritizing your well-being or mental health.
- Go on a walk. Joy can be found in abundance throughout nature. Take note of the beauty around you on your walk. The calming effect of nature can help you stay present in the moment. Being surrounded by beautiful and pleasing things will spark joy in you. Going for a quiet walk can allow you time to check in with your feelings and assess your emotional needs. Or if you’re wanting company, take your loved ones on the walk and enjoy each other’s company.
- Go beyond gift-giving. The holidays are synonymous with giving presents to all your family and friends. But there are other ways to show your loved ones how much you care, such as spending quality time together, verbally expressing how you feel about them directly, or writing a thoughtful card. For some, they might enjoy something that’s more personal. Doing or giving something that’s really thoughtful can bring joy to them.
- Connect during everyday tasks. Everyone has responsibilities and duties that need to get done every single day. Most people don’t enjoy and dread doing these tasks but they still need to get finished. Instead of associating those tasks with dread, start incorporating fun things while doing those tasks. Like playing music that makes you happy while doing the dishes, or listening to a good podcast while vacuuming, take in the scenery while doing yard work. Begin these mundane activities with a positive attitude and implement mindfulness.
- Guided meditation. Sometimes you might need a little help during our meditation, especially if you’re just starting out or if it’s an extra stressful time for you. Find a guided meditation that brings awareness and focus to joy. Meditation can help you hone in on the feeling of joy and give your body the opportunity to recognize it and to be on the lookout for it in the future.
Holiday Mindfulness with Alltrust
The holiday season is upon us and Alltrust wants to ensure we all find joy this year. It can be easy to disconnect from mindfulness during the holidays with everything going on around us. An overwhelming amount of emotions can be experienced every day during large gatherings with family and friends. It’s important to practice mindfulness throughout the entire year, but you can benefit from directing extra focus to mindfulness during the holiday season. Everyone should enjoy this time with their loved ones and practicing mindfulness can ensure that happens.
At Alltrust Insurance, we care about the physical and mental well-being of you and your employees. Our partnership with eMindful allows us to provide evidence-based mindfulness solutions as part of their employee benefits. Contact us today to learn more about offering well-rounded employee benefits this holiday season.
