Slow down and enjoy the season. That is my holiday wish for you.
I love this time of year. Mostly. I enjoy the festive decorations and the sparkly lights, the holiday music, and (most years) a snow-covered landscape. What I don’t enjoy is the stress of the season that a lot of us fall prey to. Why do so many of us equate the time between Thanksgiving and New Years with stress?
I am convinced a big part of it is the need for speed we are addicted to. Your mindset does affect your muscles. The mindset of rushing to get more and more done in less and less time just feeds excessive muscle tension, which is one of the culprits of poor posture.
If I am not careful I, too, can easily find myself rushing through my holiday shopping and preparations at breakneck speed—a speed that was I driving my car, I would definitely be issued a ticket. I am “speeding” so to speak.
So, when I find that I am going over the speed limit I play the role of highway patrol (nobody else will do it for me) and give myself a warning inviting myself to cut back to half speed while finishing whatever it is I am doing. I enjoy it so much more and still get things done. And my body feels better for it.
I take this attitude of slowing down past the holidays and throughout the winter here in Minnesota. Things just take longer when it is cold, snowy, and icy outside. You have more clothes to take on and off, driving too fast is often dangerous and walking on slippery surfaces takes more care.
I used to fight it and try to “speed” along as if it were summer. But several years ago I decided to give in and practice going half speed, especially at this time of year. My body and my posture benefit greatly from this choice when I make it.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes
There is more to life than increasing its speed
-Mohandas Gandhi
So, slow down and enjoy the season. Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the coming year!
The blog is taking a holiday break and will be back on the first Tuesday in January 2015.
