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HOW TO SLOW DOWN IN DECEMBER?

I don’t know about you, but my impression is that in December the whole world is hyper-accelerating. Suddenly, we all try to tick off unrealized plans, goals from the end of the year, make a summary of the year, properly prepare for the holidays, decorate the house beautifully, buy gifts in line with the most fashionable trends, prepare traditional dishes, plan New Year’s Eve in a great place, etc. December overwhelms us with an excess of duties it also overwhelms emotionally. So what can we do to make it through this month and not go crazy? Below you will find some of my thoughts on this topic. I hope you find it helpful. Let me know in the comments how you deal with the holiday rush. I invite you to read the post How to slow down in December?

All-encompassing chaos

December is the month when everyone wants to attract our attention for a moment: is it thanks to an advertisement, a leaflet, a free tasting and all with frantically flickering lights in the background and the song Last Christmas… What to do to cut off this informative noise? (apart from avoiding the shopping mall?) How to calm down and slow down in this chaos? Here are some thoughts.

Mute social media notifications on your phone

Or turn off social media for this month, but it’s a hard version for the brave

Resign from following social media profiles that evoke negative emotions in you

For example comparing yourself and your life to others. We could talk about this for a long time. Most of us realize that comparing ourselves to nothing leads to it, but it happens to almost all of us. Unfortunately, if we are in a worse emotional condition, it can really have a negative impact on us, so it’s better to avoid it by simply unfollowing it, whether it is for some time, e.g. only for December and then returning, or definitely if you find that it’s good for you.

Get your newsletters in order.

It is worth cleaning the newsletters from time to time, sometimes it happens that we completely forgot to sign up for a newsletter, e.g. we signed up because there was a nice gift to download and then nothing interesting, during the holidays, suddenly everyone wake up and send us various offers, which flood our inbox, so maybe it is worth considering which of the newsletters are really valuable to us, and which we just collected and make selections.

Mute groups on FB

Groups is another matter. We subscribe to them en masse, often compulsively because a friend recommended or invited us, because the blogger we like sent a recommendation in the newsletter, and sometimes because they appeared in the proposed ones. We often belong to a million groups in which we are not active, but in the news we keep popping up notifications from these groups. It is worth silencing them, so as not to be bombarded with information that we are not interested in at the moment, e.g. with sales offers before Christmas or consider whether it makes sense to belong to them and may unsubscribe if they do not give us anything.

Avoid getting into unnecessary discussions on social media.

Don’t comment unnecessarily. In total, this applies to both real and virtual reality. We often engage in various discussions on difficult topics, including, for example, political or worldview, which affect us. It consumes a lot of our energy and nerves. The point is not to be indifferent and not react at all to, for example, hate sowing, but to try to coldly assess the situation and think about what it will give us, whether we will not only lose energy in this way. We will not change anyone or whose views by force. Let’s think about it not only in December, but for the whole next year.

Take part in challenges wisely.

Another issue is the December challenges that have become very popular. I must admit that I found a few that sound very nice. But… well, let’s think about whether we really need them and do we really want to spend time with them now? What can they give us?

Sometimes they can make us feel guilty that we are not perfect enough, that we do not cope in time. It’s nothing that a full-time job, children, husband, a billion projects, we will sign up for X challenges and we expect from ourselves that we should make it all and then we are angry with ourselves that it is not. The irony of fate is that some of these challenges are challenges that are related to very good ideas such as zero waste, ecology, slow life, awareness, etc. And we often feel torn or sign up because on the one hand we know how much time we have it and, on the other hand, we feel that it is something valuable. It is worthwhile to calmly consider the pros and cons and, above all, ask what we need for now and what such a challenge would give us?

Stay in silence.

Try to sit in silence for at least 15 minutes every day and if you feel like it, spend this time meditating or just listening to yourself and thinking about what you need.

Stay in nature.

When you feel overwhelmed by everything, try going for a walk in the park, and if you have such an opportunity, go to the forest at the weekend, for example. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Listen to yourself and the surrounding nature. Nature is a huge resource of energy. Also, if you feel that you need tranquility, I highly recommend contact with nature.

Let go.

Don’t try to complete all tasks perfectly. Think about what is your priority. It’s not about doing everything sloppy, but about choosing in a sea of ​​things that you want to do, the ones that are really important? As the saying goes: Better imperfect, but made than unfinished and perfect.

Taking care of yourself.

Every day, find moments to take care of your needs. Read a book, listen to music, take a relaxing bath. You can read more about good settlement practices in post: CURE FOR FAST LIFE

Take care of relationships.

Most of us realize that gifts are not the most important thing, yet we spend a lot of our time on them. Try to provide time for your loved ones not only during the holidays, but also before. Think about what you can do together? (Here you have a post regarding how to take care of relationship CLICK HERE). For example, decorating a Christmas tree, baking gingerbread? The preparation time can be a lot of fun and strengthen your bonds.

Shorten the “to do” list and lengthen the “to feel” list.

Think about what you may not do. What happens if you don’t do this? Will the world collapse? What can you translate into, for example, after Christmas? Make a “to feel” list, which is how you want to feel not only in December and for Christmas, but also next year. Focus on what you want to feel, not what you have to do.

You can read a post regarding how to plan your life here: CLICK HERE

Also I’m working on preparing and publish my journal, so soon I’ll share it with you.

Accept that you will not be able to achieve all the planned goals and that you can achieve them next year.

Try to be gentle with yourself. Approach yourself with understanding. Think how much you managed to achieve this year and how much effort it cost you. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. Try to treat yourself as if you are your best friend.

Delegate tasks.

Think about which tasks you can delegate both at work (if possible) and at home. Who can you ask for help? Are you sure that only you will be able to buy Christmas decorations, plan what dishes and prepare them, make pre-holiday orders, etc.

Cut off from toxic people.

Take care of your psychological comfort and think how, and most of all, with whom do you want to spend your Christmas time? Do not plan time with those people who are negatively affecting you and your mood, even if it is family and “should”. Put your mental health first.

Be assertive.

Be clear about your limits. In the area of ​​household chores and holiday preparations as well as in the area of ​​work duties. Do not take responsibility for the performance of duties that belong to other people, do not take responsibility for others. The point is not that you do not help someone in need, but to take care of your limits and not let yourself be taken advantage of by your boss who will throw additional responsibilities on you or your colleagues. I know that it is sometimes very difficult and requires a lot of courage because there is a fear of dismissing or losing someone else’s sympathy, but then first of all think about your health. You can find a new job, even if it may not be easy. However, regaining lost health, whether physical or mental, is much more difficult.

Be like a child.

Remember what you liked the most during the holidays and in December as a child. What did you enjoy the most? Try to go back to those memories, to those feelings. Make contact with your inner girl and at least be like a child for a while.

Rest on holidays.

Holidays from the very name are a time of celebration. So think about the way you like to rest the most? What gives you energy? This is different for each of us. For some it may be a trip to the mountains or a trip outside the city, for others a quiet evening with family and board games or a movie night. Think about yourself and your needs. Don’t try to do something just because others want it, if you don’t feel up to it and really need to rest.

These are all my thoughts. What are yours? How do you think you can slow down in December?

If you want, share your reflection in a comment.

I hope this post was valuable for you. If you think someone might need it, please share it.

Finally, I wish you that December will be a beautiful month for you, full of warmth and goodness for others and for yourself!

With December greetings,

Sylwia

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