Can you find Peace this Christmas time?

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Can you find peace this Christmas time when all around you seems to be in turmoil? People are feeling stressed, financial worries are rampant and the world no longer seems to be such a safe place. How then can you find peace amongst all this chaos?

As we inch closer to Christmas, our busy lives seem to have moved up another notch. What was already a busy existence now seems to be one running on steroids. Deadlines are getting closer, work needs to be finished before the holidays, the roads are in gridlock and already busy stores are now full to capacity.

We seem to have so much on our ‘to do’ lists that it’s very easy to arrive on Christmas Day feeling burnt out and exhausted. But this doesn’t need to be the case. I believe that it is possible to put some ease into your life, to find some peace, even on the busiest of days.

Have a look at your life and make a decision on what is essential and what can really wait until January. Not everything needs to be completed now. Keep things simple. If you have presents to buy, look online or locally. Avoiding the busy shopping centres. So much can be bought in your local neighbourhood or online, so it’s delivered to your front door. Also don’t accept every single social engagement. Your family and friends won’t disappear on the first of January. You can still catch up in the New Year.

You don’t need to buy extravagant presents. Christmas has become very commercial however, its’ essence is not about gifts but about connection. Being with family and friends, the ones who mean the most to you, are all that really matters. Sharing food, laughter and love are what makes Christmas truly special.

Take time out each day to find some quiet moments. Even if it’s just sitting in the garden with a cup of tea or going for a short walk in nature, find some time to switch off and relax.

Can you find peace this Christmas time? Start by avoiding the news. Yes it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the world, but we can check the headlines on our phones. We don’t need to be constantly reminded of war and fighting and hate, or see visual examples of this. Constant exposure only brings up fear, anxiety and worry. We don’t need that in our lives.

Don’t try and make everything perfect. As a perfectionist in the past, I used to make sure that I had the best ornaments and the biggest tree. The house needed to be decorated beautifully and the table set with matching everything. Now I don’t worry so much. I am grateful for the family that I have to celebrate Christmas with and I treasure these moments together. Yes it’s lovely to give and receive gifts, but don’t get too anxious about what to buy everyone. A small token of your love is enough.

Ultimately remember what Christmas is all about. To me, it’s about family. Sharing time with those we love, family or friends. It’s about finding peace in our lives, even with those we don’t necessarily agree with. It’s about taking time our from our busy lives, from judgment or criticism of others to finding common ground.

Though Christmas can be a lonely time for so many, it can also be a time of reflection, to think about the past year and what lessons can be learned from it.

Can you find peace this Christmas time? I truly hope so, for I believe that peace resides within all of us. We only need to look within our heart and find the love, compassion and kindness that exists there then send this out to all the world.

Wishing you all a peaceful and very Happy Christmas,

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxxx

Ps. If looking for a Christmas present, my book, “True Essence: Finding your authentic self without compromise,” is available. 

You can buy a signed copy here
Or on Amazon here.

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.

References: Image by Amy from Pixabay

Do you Stop to Celebrate the little things in life ….. or do you just move on?

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Do you stop to celebrate the little things in life or do you just move on? We all tend to celebrate the usual occasions. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas, Easter and other major events are usually celebrated. We may throw a party or go out for a meal with friends or perhaps have a quiet, more intimate celebration.

But what of the smaller day to day achievements or the ones we accomplish just for ourselves. Do we stop to recognise and celebrate their importance?

I have accomplished many things such as careers in nursing and reflexology. I have celebrated these. But I have also accomplished smaller things that I rarely give much thought to. I have sold photos to gardening magazines and was happy at the time but didn’t really stop to recognise what I had done. I have travelled to places that have really challenged me, but I didn’t stop to think that I was doing something brave or extraordinary.

I have tried paragliding and riding on a moped and motorbike. I have gone sailing on a catamaran and camped in the bush where lions roamed. I have raised a son and run a household, volunteered for many mother’s committees and school outings, but rarely have I celebrated these as achievements. They were just things I did because it was part of the roles that I had taken on, or else I was young and fearless and knew no better.

Do you stop to celebrate the little things in life or do you just move on? Why is it that we celebrate only the major events in our life? Is it because we think all the day to day tasks are not important, so that we place less emphasis on them? Or is it because we fear the judgment or criticism of others? If we celebrate too often or too loudly we are considered ‘big headed’ or egotistic. If we always talk about our achievements, we may be considered too loud or ‘full of ourselves.’

Society doesn’t encourage us to be individuals. Society doesn’t encourage us to stand tall. The ‘tall poppy syndrome’ is still present and we fear being its victim. So we stay small, we downplay our successes and we don’t celebrate even the smallest wins.

Well isn’t it time we put a stop to that behaviour? Isn’t it time we stayed true to ourselves and recognised our own worth? We all have talents and gifts and it’s about time that we celebrated them.

I am just as guilty. I have accomplished things, then moved on to the next. But I suddenly realised that I wasn’t recognising all the work and effort that I had put in. So I finally stopped.

I have just published a book. Yes it’s exciting and yes I had a glass of champagne to celebrate. But then I was ready to move on to the next thing, the next book, the next photograph or the next painting I wanted to create. But I suddenly realised what I was doing. So I took some time out to recognise just what a huge achievement this book was. My husband and I are going out for a meal to celebrate and I am inviting family and friends around to do the same.

Celebrating is great for our mental health, but it also enhances our feelings of self worth and self esteem. It keeps us in the present, reduces stress and reminds us of our purpose in life. Celebrating reminds us of all the things in life that matter, the little things that make up our every day existence. They give us an appreciation of all that we have in our lives, the big and the small.

Do you stop to celebrate the little things in life or do you just move on? I hope you stop and recognise every achievement, for all the things we accomplish make us what we are. The big and small, both are equally important.

And isn’t that always worth celebrating!

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

Ps. My book, “True Essence: Finding your authentic self without compromise” is out now. You can buy it on my creative website here and purchase a signed copy, or on Amazon.

References: https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/2022/11/23/why-celebrating-is-good-for-you/ Photo by Guille Alvarez on Unsplash 

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.

Christmas time is here again.

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Christmas time is here again and another year is nearly over. I really hope it has been a happy and healthy one for you. Christmas is a time of happiness, joy and excitement for many, an occasion for families to come together and an opportunity to rekindle traditions.

As I come from a European background (my parents were Hungarian), our biggest celebration was on Christmas Eve. Christmas actually started for my family with the feast of St Nicholas on the 6th December. My sisters and I would put our shoes outside our bedroom door at night time, to find them filled with fruit, nuts and occasionally sweets, the next morning. St Nicholas was said to have been a very generous man with a love for children.

It was the start of a very exciting month which culminated in the delivery of our Christmas tree by the angels. Our sitting room was locked and the blinds and curtains drawn in preparation for the big day. My sisters and I would look for clues in the garden, searching for pine needles that would show that the angels had been. We would excitedly follow their trail from the front gate, along the garden path, up to the verandah and the french windows that opened onto the sitting room. The tree had arrived and Christmas was nearly here.

Although I didn’t keep up this tradition for my own son, he did grow up believing in Father Christmas and would take ages to get to sleep on Christmas Eve, too excited to close his eyes. Hence my husband and I would set our alarms for the middle of the night so that we could sneak in with a stocking full of presents. We would place these on his bed to surprise him in the morning. The rustle of wrapping paper would greet us the next day and we would go into his bedroom delighting in his joy and excitement. Very special memories.

Christmas to me is a time of giving. A time to include others and share what you have. Very often we have an extra person or two who would otherwise be on their own, to share our Christmas lunch with. Their presence only contributes to the celebrations and enriches our Christmas meal. Although a happy occasion for many, Christmas can also be a sad and lonely time. Not everyone has a family to be with or the love of those close to them. This time of year can also bring up memories of happier times spent with those who are no longer with us.

For Christians, it signifies the birth of Jesus Christ and the love and teachings he brought to the world. It’s also an occasion of ‘togetherness’, a time to think of others and not of ourselves and of showing kindness to those around us.

Christmas time is nearly here and it’s a great opportunity to be grateful and reflect on the past year. It’s easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy and commercialism, but to me, Christmas is much more than that. Yes it’s lovely receiving gifts but gratitude goes much further. The past few years have been such a mixed bag of worry, fear and anxiety, but they have allowed many of us to re-evaluate our lives and how we live them.

I’m grateful to have rekindled my creativity and passion for writing. Others have found a better work/life balance. Some have moved homes to somewhere less busy and crowded. Silver linings can be found in many difficult situations.

This Christmas, enjoy your time with those you love, give gratitude for what you have and seek out opportunities to live a life you are truly passionate about.

Thank you all for reading these newsletters and sending much gratitude to my lovely clients, who entrust me with their care.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful, healthy and enriching New Year.

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx