As we navigate the twinkling lights and festivities of the holiday season, it's important to acknowledge that with many weeks of business, joy, and celebration, our nervous systems can start to feel like they're coordinating a chaotic chorus of feelings, memories, activities, and sensory input. The holidays, while often profoundly beautiful, are inherently disruptive. They can swing us wildly between powerful highs and lows. It's a time when our usual routines are upended, and our emotional landscapes become as varied as the cookie trays laid out (seemingly everywhere) around us. How many times have you made it just past the new year only to experience a physical or emotional crash? Is it an inevitable byproduct of holiday joy, or maybe, just maybe, is there a way to center ourselves in balance and ease this season?

Despite its track record, disruption and overstimulation don't have to lead to disarray. It sounds too easy, but the best way to keep ourselves in check... is to check in with ourselves! By practicing mindful self-attunement we can identify our current state of regulation/dysregulation and our needs. Once we have a bit more awareness, we can play around with simple strategies to help us attend to nourishing and caring for ourselves. This is how we find and stay within our "range of good." There isn't a secret sauce or magic bullet. It isn't about striving in each moment to feel perfectly content. Instead, the Attuning and Attending Practice helps us skillfully navigate and dynamically balance a beautiful continuum of emotions, sensations, situations, and stimulation so we can be more present, easeful, and able to savor the season.

We all learn differently, so feel free to read more about this week's practice below and/or enjoy this quick (one-minute!) video guide.

I hope you'll give yourself this one mindful minute, my friend. You deserve to be awake and at ease in your life. You deserve at least a few brief moments of your own time and tender attention.

One Mindful Minute Practice: Attuning and Attending

In the spirit of staying grounded in your "range of good", I invite you to try this One Mindful Minute practice of Attuning and Attending to your present-moment needs:

1. Close Your Eyes: Find a quiet space amidst the holiday hustle. (A personal favorite of mine is taking a few moments parked in the driveway in my car before I go in my house... Ok, sometimes it's way longer but trust me there is enough candy in the house right now to keep the kids busy for at least a week.) Close your eyes and take a few deep, grounding breaths. Place your hands over your heart and turn your awareness inward. Feel the breath flow in. Feel the breath flow out.
   
2. Attune: With each inhale and exhale, attune to your body and mind right now, in this moment. What do you notice physically, mentally, and emotionally? Do you find yourself feeling well-balanced, clear, and at ease? Are you instead feeling overly activated, tense, and buzzing with excess energy? Or are you on the other end of the spectrum, finding yourself sluggish and worn out? What state feels most pronounced?
   
3. Attend: If you find yourself veering toward imbalance, it's time to gently guide yourself back to a steadier middle ground. With even a few moments of self-care, you'll be more equipped to make mindful decisions that nurture your awareness, ease, and well-being moving forward.

   -If You Notice Over-Activation: Start with a few full-body shake-outs to release excess energy. Moving towards slowing your movements, focus on long, slow, sighing exhales. Wrap up your practice with a cross-armed shoulder massage or even a self-hug, feeling into the sensation of release with each big exhale.
   
   -If You Notice Depletion: Begin by swaying gently to bring movement into your body. Deepen your inhales and open your arms wide as you draw the breath in. Release the arms as you exhale. With each breath, add energy to your movements until you are swinging your arms and engaging your body fully. Continue until you feel a shift. Once you do, allow yourself to stop and breathe naturally, noticing the energy flowing through you.

This practice can be a powerful tool in your Nervous System First Aid kit, helping you to navigate the holiday season with grace, awareness, and presence. Our nervous system often responds positively to the simple act of pausing and turning inward. When we follow up those check-ins by attending to our needs and creating balance, we send clear signals to our body, mind, and heart that we are safe, cared for, and deeply connected. We are well-equipped to handle the ebb and flow of our days. 

Remember, the goal isn't to avoid the natural swings of life, but rather to move through them with awakened tenderness, attuning and attending so that we may enjoy our "range of good" where joy, connection, and peace can flourish.

May your season be filled with mindful moments and heartfelt connections,

Nichole

Upcoming Offerings

Silks + Sound + Reiki: Nervous System First Aid

The December 8th Class is SOLD OUT. Be on the lookout for our upcoming Nervous System First Aid workshop "Under the Northern Lights: Silks + Sound + Reiki"!