Let things go.
Tip # 16 for the holiday season: Let things go.
No doubt people will do things that are annoying and get under your skin. It can be easy to go to a place of “they’re wrong and you’re right.” Let’s face it, you probably are right, but getting stuck there just causes tension in the jaw and tight muscles in the upper back. It can be helpful to imagine that everyone is doing their best; even if their best sort of sucks today, we can’t always know what’s going on for someone. Did they get in a fight with their partner this morning, are they late picking up their kid, do they have something scary they have to share with a loved one at dinner? When we realize that life is so much more complicated than being wrong or right, it’s possible to soften a little and forgive someone for cutting in line or not saying thank you when they ought to. How might we work together to make this often challenging time of year a little easier and a whole lot kinder?
Here’s how the Calm team finds compassion when they’re annoyed:
Jade: I always try to remind myself that even if you catch someone at the wrong moment, it doesn’t define them as a whole. I also remind myself that I’m capable of not being at my best, too! Finding that common ground reminds me we are all human and doing our best.
Christi-an: I take a deep inhale to honor my feelings with compassion and then I exhale and let it go because I know this tension will not serve me in the moment. This is a practice of self-care for me. This is a practice of learning how to forgive others. This is a practice of redirecting my energy to something nourishing.
