Christmas Mindfulness :-O

[Metaphysical Me]

Ooh, I've been ridiculously busy this week, but here's a quick post regarding the upcoming Christmas mayhem...

I like this post from the "Zen Habits" website called "Family Gatherings: The Ultimate Mindfulness Training Ground"

http://zenhabits.net/dojo/

Wishing everyone good mindfulness in the upcoming family bizarreness....



XXX Janey

[Steve]

I agree, Christmas can be a challenging practice! But what a brilliant opportunity to practice acceptance of how things unfold (so no getting uptight if things don't go according to your own story), an opportunity to relax, and to go with the flow rather than trying to make everyone do what you want them to do, and an opportunity to be non-judgemental so you can appreciate everyone's good points and accept that everyone has not so good points (and just let them be rather than being agitated by them). If I can achieve this, I'm looking forward to relaxing into events, not getting upset by anything others say or do, savouring the little moments and maintaining an inner smile.

Steve

[Metaphysical Me]

[James123]

Interesting. Thanks for the link, MM.

Last Christmas for me was truly a horribly anxiety ridden experience (mostly my own doing) and I've been dreading this years Christmas because its all the same people in the same place.

So my Doing Mind has been in full effect for the last 2 months whenever Christmas pops in to my head.

Just glad I found MBCT 6 weeks ago as at least I now know why the mind is doing what it is doing. Therefore I'm going to practice Mindfulness as much as possible over the coming week even if a twinge of apathy has crept in, in the last day or 2.

[Metaphysical Me]

Ooh, yeah, I think I'm going to be needing X-mas mindfulness too...!

Sorry to hear that last year's X-mas was so tough, James. X-mas is such madness. Apparently the murder and suicide rates skyrocket at X-mas!

We're off to stay with the family for 10 days (eek!) - that's a 1/3 of a month!! Thankfully they are quite nice - can't really complain about my in-laws.

We leave on Tuesday and I've been flipping back and forth between calmness and anxiety for the last 3 or 4 days.

For me, the biggest issue is that I don't have any "me time" or any "personal space" there... I feel like those people in art projects, when they "live on display" in a museum, or a shop window, you know?

I feel like I'm meant to keep up my "social facade" 24/7 and I usually start feeling pretty miserable after 2 days of that...

But living in such close quaters with relatives, it feels too risky to "just be me" or "just be authentic", tho. I suspect that there's all kinds of conflict, bubbling away beneath the surface, that would escalate into a fight, if everyone wasn't making the effort to "be nice"...

Ach, it's difficult... At least with friends, you get to choose them. But relatives, nope.

I really, really, really, really hope that LOTS of mindfulness practice is going to make a difference there, this year.

XXX Janey

[Metaphysical Me]

P.S. What do you mean re "apathy", James?
That the initial euphoria / honeymoon phase has ended? That you're currently feeling a little uninspired?

Motivational gaps are totally normal! Don't force it. Try and not lose touch with the practice tho, if possible.

See what resonates with you, at the moment. I find I need all sorts of different techniques, for the different moods and phases I go through. For example, sometimes I'm so exhausted that I need to do "guided" meditations - don't have the energy to do unguided ones. Or sometimes, I'm too restless to do seated meditations - then I need to do a walking one. Or sometimes I'm in such a rotten mood, that all the "lovingkindness" and "positivity" stuff just makes my mood all the worse... so then I need to focus on the fact that anger is also a valid part of life and something that can play an important role...

So, variety is the spice of life, as mindfulness techniques go...!

[James123]

Hi Janey,

Happy New Year to you and yours.

I'm apathetic of late re mindfulness because even though I'm fully aware that mindfulness is not, and will never be, a "cure" for my anxiety, I still thought all the practising and learning how the mind/body works would help a tad more when I was having a problem coping with an attack.

The 3+ min breathing space meditation doesn't even touch the sides, so to speak, when the adrenalin and doing mind is in full effect.

I won't stop practising though as I definitely noticed a difference in myself once I had started. Kinda kicking myself at the moment as I haven't done any real formal or informal practice for over a week and seeing as I was halfway through week 6 I'm considering giving myself a damn good thrashing!

[Metaphysical Me]

Hi James... just sent you a message (check your mailbox in your profile...)

Janey