Before the Holiday Hustle: Make Room for Rest
How is this year almost over already??? The holidays are just a few weeks away! Do you feel a little anxious, like I do? It takes everything I have to sit down for meditation … and that’s probably a good sign I need to make time for it!
November has a way of filling our calendars before we even realize it. I mean, a dear friend and I can’t find time for a dinner date until December 5th! That makes me so sad. How did we get so busy that spending time with someone we love has to wait another month?
Between family gatherings, shopping lists, work commitments, and holiday preparations, the time we mean to set aside for ourselves can quickly disappear. I know how easily it happens because I do it, too!
So, before the season picks up even more speed, let’s take a moment to ask ourselves: How do I want to feel as I move through the holidays?
For me, I want to feel more present and less hurried. I want to enjoy a conversation without mentally running through everything I still need to do. And I want time with the people I love to actually feel like time together.
There will always be another task waiting. I’m reminding myself … and maybe you need this reminder, too, that our rest deserves a place on the calendar.
If It’s Not on Your Calendar, It Doesn’t Exist!
I can tell myself all day that I’m going to make time for something. But unless I put it on my calendar, it’s very easy for everything else to take its place. Sound familiar, I bet it does!?
This is why we ask you to rebook your spa service or schedule your next yoga class before you leave. We want you to have that time set aside for yourself before your calendar fills with everyone else’s needs.
When your massage is already booked or your yoga class is on the calendar, you have a plan. You don’t have to keep thinking, “I really need to get back in.” You already know when you’re coming, and you have something to look forward to!
Before you leave your next appointment, take a minute to schedule the following one. If you’ve been meaning to return to yoga, choose a class and put it on your calendar now. Give your own care the same consideration you give your other commitments.
Small Pauses Count, Too
Of course, we can’t spend every day at the spa. Although, wouldn’t that be lovely?
Making room for rest can also mean drinking your morning coffee without checking your phone, taking a walk in the crisp air, or spending a few minutes stretching before bed. For me, it means sitting down for meditation even when my mind is already trying to move on to the next thing.
You don’t need an entire free day. Start with a little time you can realistically give yourself, and let that be enough.
Leave a Little Breathing Room
I need this reminder myself: an open space on the calendar doesn’t have to be filled!
We can keep an evening free. We can simplify a holiday tradition. We can say, “I would love to, but I just can’t this time,” without offering a lengthy explanation.
Before saying yes to one more thing, pause and consider whether you have the time and energy for it. I want to enjoy the things I choose to do instead of arriving already exhausted and thinking about where I need to be next.
Make Room for the Season You’re In
The holidays can hold so many different feelings. Some years, we’re excited to gather and celebrate. Other years, we’re navigating grief, caring for family, or simply feeling stretched a little thin.
Give yourself permission to adjust. Maybe this year looks different than last year. Maybe you need a quieter evening, a smaller gathering, or a little more help. It’s okay to make plans that fit where you are right now.
At The Floating Lotus, we would love to be part of that time you set aside for yourself. Whether you settle into a massage, enjoy a facial, move and breathe in yoga, or pause for a spa nap or infrared sauna session, let that visit be time you’ve reserved just for you.
Before your calendar fills with holiday plans, leave a little room for yourself.
I’m going to work on this right alongside you. And yes, that dinner date with my friend is on my calendar!
