This TED Talk on the benefits of learning to be still isn’t holiday specific. But I can’t think of a better time to talk about stillness than the busiest time of year!
You guys, I get pretty stressed during the holidays, and I know that I’m not alone. It feels like I barely keep up with work assignments all year long, and somehow during the holidays I need to keep up with work while also planning parties, making gifts, and traveling. Learning to be still won’t take all of that stress away, but I really believe that a little bit of self care can help us handle stress a lot better.
This post is part of Important Media’s More Love, Less Stuff holiday series. This year, we’re talking about ways to redefine the holidays to be less about stuff and more about family, friends, and love. I think that taking some time to be still and practice self-care is an important part of that. How can we care for others if we’re not caring for ourselves, right?
Travel writer and novelist Pico Iyer talked about the art of learning to be still recently at a TED conference. A travel writer talking about how to be still might seem a little bit ironic, but I think it speaks volumes about the power of stillness. If someone driven to visit every continent can find stillness, then certainly you or I can do it.
Iyer talks about how being still lets him “sift through the slideshow of [his] experience.” He says that even taking a few minutes to be still a day has helped him find peace and happiness. Those are two things that I think we could all use during the holidays!
More on how to be still, present, and mindful:
– Let’s work on being present this holiday!
Image Credit: Being Still photo via Shutterstock
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