Surviving the Holiday Hustle Like a Pro

Here we are -- down to the homestretch -- with Christmas just days away and then shortly thereafter, the beginning of a new year. Although holidays are often associated with joyfulness and relaxation, this time of year can actually provoke high levels of anxiety for several reasons. Many of us have hustled trying to meet our end-of-the-year billable goals, while balancing the demands of our personal lives. In addition to running from one business meeting to another, fielding calls and meeting case and court-mandated deadlines, we have also had to make time to attend various work-related holiday parties and entertain clients. And more likely than not, the majority of us have clocked extra hours these last couple of weeks just to “get it all done” so that we can even step away from our work to spend time with family and friends in the upcoming weeks.

All of this can leave us wondering how to keep up with everything and yet, still maintain our own well-being. The good news is that mindfulness practices allow us to recognize when we feel overwhelmed or some agitation and can help us to ground ourselves. By paying attention moment-to-moment with a gentle, curious attitude we can increasingly notice when we are getting reactive so that we can foster greater kindness and compassion toward ourselves, as well as others, and step out of reactivity. This awareness enables us to more fully attend to our needs so that we can better support ourselves, as well as others, through the challenging moments in our lives.

One way to cultivate greater awareness is with a practice called, “PRO.” The “P” stands for “pause.” Given the busyness of our lives, oftentimes we’re totally unaware that we’ve gotten lost in habitual reactivity or have fallen into constant doing mode. By giving ourselves permission to pause throughout the day, even if only for a few seconds, we can recognize how we are in the moment.

The next step is “R,” which stands for “relax.” We invite the body and mind to relax. Many of times when we are feeling stressed-out, we hold tension in our bodies. For example, by pausing we may notice that the joints of the jaw are tight and with that awareness, we can invite the joints of the jaw to drop ever so slightly. Or, maybe we notice some tension in the region of the shoulders, so we can invite the shoulders to melt back and down away from the ears. It’s important to remember though that mindfulness is not about forcing ourselves to be any certain way. Instead, we just notice how we are and extend a kind invitation to ourselves to let go, without the need to judge our experience.

The final step is “O” for “open.” We open to what is here for ourselves, as well as others. By turning toward what is, without the need to change it, we are better able to accept even the most stressful of moments and invite some ease into our lives.

This holiday weekend, if you find yourself getting worked up, perhaps give “PRO” a shot to escape reactivity and choose how to best respond in the moment. For a guided PRO practice, please click here.