Reach out.
Tip # 4 for the holiday season: Reach out.
Many people experience feelings of loneliness and emptiness around the holiday season. Perhaps your family is far away, or your family doesn’t accept you, you’re breathing through a breakup or your life isn’t quite working out as you had hoped or expected. While the movies (and Instagram) can make this time of year seem magical, the reality is that most people will struggle in some way or another over the holidays. One of the worst things we can do is keep our feelings to ourselves, that just further isolates us. At the beginning of the month is a good time to reach out to let people know how you’re feeling and to make some alternative plans so that you create more possibilities for connection. Ultimately it’s our vulnerability that brings us closer to others. Perhaps you can volunteer at the soup kitchen, host a dinner for people whose families are far away or ask to tag along to a friend’s gathering. Let go of the way you think things “should” be and explore new ways to invite joy into your life. Of course, we’re not saying you have to push down your feelings. Tend to your loneliness and meet yourself with care and compassion always. Remember that you can feel both loneliness and joy. Mindfulness trains us to experience both without resistance.
Here are a few things that have meant a lot to us at Calm:
Jade: Reaching out when I’m not feeling at my best is hard, but it brings me closer to those that I love, even if they are far away. It’s also why I love the Daily Calm Community. I love interacting with Calm users from all over the world, sharing in our struggles and in our joy. By sharing in a Daily Calm meditation in the group, it can help me feel grounded and supported, as well as lifting others up too.
Christi-an: Sometimes I’ll tag along with a friends and help them do some errands. It can be a win-win, I get some connection time with someone dear to me while they still get to do the things they need to do but with a little company!
