Fun Ways to Embrace the Festive Season
Mark Kennedy
18 December 2024
The festive season is often described as “the most wonderful time of the year,” but the reality is that it doesn’t always
Across the UK this week, the night sky is alight with fireworks, bonfires and celebrations! But despite all of the parties and fun, some people may find this time of year a little bit overwhelming. There is a lot of socialising, planning and organising that comes with these festive events and your personal life can seem a bit more complicated than usual. With so much riding on your shoulders, it’s easy to get caught up in your busy schedule and forget to enjoy the present moment. Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing is key to keeping your spirits up. So take a step back, pause and be grateful for all of the seemingly small things that spark joy in your day!
Simply put, mindfulness is about being aware of yourself in the moment. You exist here and now, reading this blog, eyes gliding between each word, hand on the mouse or screen as you scroll down the page. I’m sure you’re thinking “Of course, we are aware of the present moment… Of course, we know what we are doing!” It may seem silly at first, but how many times have you caught yourself doing something on automatic pilot? For example, you start driving home from college or work and you realise that you’ve reached a certain point and you think “Wow, how am I already here?”
Maybe you are doing something that you normally would, perhaps taking the dog for a walk or doing the washing up, but your mind is overthinking a conversation you had with a friend earlier on in the day. You’re doing something, but you’re completely distracted. It’s important to learn to reel yourself back in, or else time and opportunities can fly by without you realising. There are so many seemingly small things that happen throughout our days that can spark joy and help us feel more at ease. We just need to slow down enough to be able to focus on them.
This isn’t something that you can do just like that; it’s a habit to learn and sometimes remind yourself of. Is your mind full of thoughts on what you need to do, what you could be doing, what you should have done? While you are out waiting for the fireworks to go off, there’s not much you can do. So, why worry? Enjoy the show and appreciate the company of those around you.
Focus on every sense you have right now! You are standing outside, the air is cold, your body shivering, your breath is visible in the many torches and sparklers, the smell of fireworks and barbecues, the feel of your gloves on your hand, the itchy hat on your head, and hear the fireworks pop in the sky! And most importantly, don’t feel ashamed to take a photo! While you want to focus on the here and now, there’s no harm in taking some quick shots to remember the good days. If you can’t switch off completely, take a breath and put all that thinking into a note on your phone and reflect on things when you get home.
When you are engaging in the present moment, it becomes easier to spot the things you like! And it can be anything, big and small, that can make you happy. The crunch of snow and leaves under your feet, the smell of roast dinners on the weekend or when those bouncing logos on the TV hit the corner of the screen! These small joys are what we like to call ‘glimmers’.
Glimmers are those moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace or gratitude. It’s important to actively look for these moments and observe how they make you feel. We tend to notice things that trigger negative thoughts more often than we do the positive ones. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, these tiny moments will appear more and more. You can have a go at this by downloading our free glimmer sheet today!
Once you have started to find glimmers in your day, reflecting on what they were, and how they made you feel can help you find ways to bring more sparks of joy into your life. When you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or struggling with low mood, looking out for these small moments can make even the toughest days seem better. If you wish to start your journey to enjoying the little things, check out our book; My Five-Minute Future Toolbox Gratitude Journal. Each day, you can spend just five short minutes writing down what you are grateful for, as well as daily goals and motivations! Letting you focus on the present, plan for the future, and feel good about the past.
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