December is the last month of the year. So why do many people have a special feeling of fatigue from the beginning of the month? Despite the fact that the New Year's race is just beginning, sometimes it feels as if you are already finishing a marathon.
The main feature of December that drains resources is shifts in the time axis. People are anywhere but in the present moment - not here and now.
Thoughts are most often focused on the future - anticipation, expectations, plans. Or summing up, a glimpse into the past. But mostly it's the future, the eve, about to come, the countdown.
Therefore, in December it is especially important to return to the present moment, to be aware of the here and now, to ground yourself, that is, to concentrate attention on your body, to monitor your posture, to feel the support under your feet.
You have to make a small effort of will to unfold yourself into the present - that's where the reservoir of energy is. Not in the past, which is no longer there, and not in the future, which is not yet there. All energy, all power is concentrated and possible only in the present.
December Eve Where to get strength
Thus, meditative stops - at least five minutes, as the song sings (you can do less) - of mindfulness are especially relevant in December. To gain strength in the present, you not only need to experience your body and yourself in the here and now, the support of the body, but also to take some control of the body. The only body function that can be controlled arbitrarily is the rhythm and depth of our breathing. We cannot voluntarily change the rhythm of our heartbeat, we cannot voluntarily change the rate of blood filtration in the kidneys, we cannot consciously tune in and change the amount of sulfuric acid secreted in the stomach. But we can change our breathing. That's why almost any self-regulation technique begins with the regulation of the breath, with awareness of the inhalation and exhalation.
The inhalation is associated with activation. The exhalation is a passive process, associated with relaxation. When stressed, the ratio of inhalation and exhalation changes: the exhalation becomes shorter. People as if in a hurry to inhale another portion of air, like a fish thrown on the shore, as if there may not be enough air. Therefore, in meditative stops, especially important in December, in moments of awareness on the here and now, it is necessary to include observation of the breath and to increase the exhalation. Consciously arbitrarily help the exhalation, make the exhalation an active process, lengthen it. It is especially recommended to devote a couple of minutes to deep diaphragmatic breathing: on inhalation the belly is forward, as if the air passes down the belly. On the exhalation we help the ascending stream of air with the belly, lengthening the exhalation as much as possible.
Returning to the present moment, living the procedural fullness of life, physiologically correct breathing when the exhalation is a third longer than the inhalation - these are sources of energy in the pre-holiday rush of December, like recharging points for the battery.
Where is the power? It's in the present.
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