It’s been quite a while since I last posted here – last year I moved from my 30+ year home in London to Sussex and this major transition has taken up lots of energy.
As I pause for breath I notice that the collective theme for this year is “polycrisis” – the sense of permanent ongoing crises. We certainly need all of our resilience to be able to navigate these times with grace.
I confess I’ve succumbed to “doom scrolling” at times – spending too much time on news and social media – getting addicted to the dopamine hit of righteous indignation about the wrongs of the world. If you’re doing this too I highly recommend App Block as a way of interrupting your scrolling habits.
In turbulent times I turn to the seasons to anchor me. It’s less than three weeks till the Winter Solstice – the darkest day of the year. This is the first Christmas for three years that we’ve been able to socialise normally and the temptation to throw yourself into festivities will be huge.
Nevertheless, as we enter the darkest months of December and January, do carve out time for quiet reflection – to go within and connect deeply with your roots. Older cultures knew the importance of such pauses – allowing space between the letting go of Autumn and the letting come of Spring.
Resist the temptation to fill up every moment of your diary with commitments and allow some unstructured time. I find that the days between Christmas and New Year are very good for this – a few lazy days to just be.
So, what will you say “No” to this holiday season?