Want to Make the Most of the Holidays?

It’s no secret that this time of year for most us is the busiest time of year. There are parties, end of year concerts, award ceremonies, planning for next year, dinners and the list goes on. Yet, for many it is also the most amount of consecutive days they have had off work this year.

If you are one of the ones that can’t wait for the downtime these holidays (NB. not everyone does, I met a man at a party last night that loves being at work during the holidays because it’s quiet in the office and he can get more done), then read on to find out how you can make the holidays last a bit longer.

So whether you have 2 days, 2 weeks or more, you can expand time by increasing your presence.

Have you ever been in line at the post office (or anywhere) and you can feel the person in front of you is in a rush. They may be moving their body, their shoulders maybe up to their ears or they are flapping papers around in their hand. They give off a vibe they are in a hurry. Whatever is going on for them in their head is taking them away from feeling themselves standing on the floor, being around other people and taking in their surrounds – they are somewhere else in their heads. And there you are in queue behind them, calm, watching all of this go on and just experiencing it for what it is. Even though you are in the same queue, in the same environment, waiting for the same service, your experience of that time is completely different to theirs. The main difference being what’s going through your mind.

Being present can also be called a state of flow.

Lance P. Hickey Ph.D. writes on Flow experiences and shares this:

“There are moments in which your mind becomes so entirely absorbed in the activity that you “forget yourself” and begin to act effortlessly, with a heightened sense of awareness of the here and now (athletes often describe this as “being in the zone”). Your actions seem frozen in time and every little sound becomes more intense.”

Whether you are with your children, partner, family, friends or by yourself these holidays, try creating more of these intense moments where you are fully absorbed and notice your experience of time expand.