Holiday Unwind

With the US Thanksgiving just a few days away and the rest of the holiday season just around the corner I'm already feeling the stress of the holidays. Hmm, maybe stress is too strong of a word. The pressure? As a business owner who creates and sells products, often given as gifts, this is one of our busiest times of year. And of course we would NEVER complain about such a thing. Ever. But it seems that no matter how well you plan and project you're never quite ready for the unexpected. But that's what makes life so much fun right? The unexpected. The daily surprises, big and small.

But even with all the wonderful surprises and excitement and hustle & bustle brewing around Serene this time of year I find I still need time for me, time to unwind and just chill for a bit. Especially since, in addition to all the Serene work, my husband and I are in the midst of a somewhat major addition to our home (structural additions, that's not a euphemism for me being pregnant or anything like that!). So to say it's been hectic around here is a major understatement. So that brings me back to ME time.

I've tried many things over the years to relax, unwind, calm down. Running. Then walking when my body decided running was too much. A glass of wine. Or 3. Reading. And while all of those would help a little, none of them really seemed to do it for me, deep down. That's when I tried meditating. I won't pretend and say that I sat down one day and BAM, I was in a state of bliss. My mind quiet. My body relaxed. Finding my great purpose in life. Um, no, I would definitely not say that was the case. But what I did find was that after doing it over and over and over (and over and over) again my mind actually did start to quiet down. My body did relax. Even my over-clenched jaw seemed to let go. And while I have not seen a grand vision of my destiny in this lifetime, I have had amazing ideas and (waking) dreams come to me during that quiet time. But sometimes in the midst of the chaos of everyday life I forget to take those relatively few minutes and quiet my mind. Go to that place where "It's All Good". So I have to remind myself every day to take this time for ME. And in turn I know it actually helps those around me (I'm not so abrupt and, shall we say, fussy).

So here's a reminder to myself, and to all of you, be sure to take time for YOU, especially during this crazy time of year. It will make you AND everyone around you feel better.