Give and take—taking care of yourself during the holidays

When festivities or planning become overwhelming, take a few moments to find a quiet place, reset, and recalibrate. Sometimes, we just need to breathe, de-stress, and be kinder to ourselves, without judgment, without inner-commentary, without heeding any negative thoughts.

• Basics: to introduce or reacquaint you to the fundamentals of meditation
• Letting Go of Stress: to alleviate any building tension or feeling of being overwhelmed
• Kindness: to infuse your day with kindness and remind you to be gentle with yourself

However festive and social we might feel, we all need space from time to time. For those of us whose aloneness can feel empty, it’s worth the reminder that when meditating, we’re meditating alongside other Headspacers around the world.

• Alone Time: single meditation, to go inward and savor that golden “me time”
• Reset: single meditation, to encourage an overactive mind to come to a natural place of rest
• Unwind: mini meditation, to give the mind time to unfold, unwind, and let go

With so much going on and so much to do, it’s not always easy to turn off and go to sleep. And when it comes to the mind, the harder we try to fall asleep, the more awake we are. Here are three exercises to help you relax and wind down at the end of the day.

• Goodnight: single meditation, designed to soothe body and mind, preparing you for a restful sleep)
• Sea Shapes: a 45-min sleep sound, a mix of clarinet, cello, and waves to help lull you to sleep)
• Switching Off: using a visualization to help you power down and drift off)

Some of us might not find it easy or natural to take care of ourselves, so we’ve included the following guidance as a helpful reminder about the importance of self-care and how it sends ripples into our outside world and the relationships we have with our nearest and dearest.

• Precious Human Life: a 1-minute animation on appreciating life’s preciousness
• Compassion and Awareness: understanding the two foundational qualities of meditation
• Planning: a meditation obstacle audio, offering advice about a mind that keeps looking ahead