Every year it seems that the festive season is upon us before we know it, and we know that for many, this time of year can be very challenging for a variety of reasons.
If this is a time of gift-giving for you, then amidst the rush as you get things ready and choose just the right gifts, it's sometimes easy to forget the real gifts we possess or can share with others, at any time throughout the year.
These tips might help remind us all of the real gifts of any season:
Our time
This could be called the biggest gift of all. We can give our time to help those we love, or those we don't even know, we can spend our time with loved ones, or we can gift ourselves and just notice time as it passes in the present moment as it moves from one moment to the next evoking feelings of peace and calm.
We can also spend time remembering or reminiscing about happy times of love and connection and feel those supportive emotions right now.
Our uniqueness
We all have unique talents and strengths that we sometimes forget we possess. While we all share a common humanity that connects us all, we are also entirely unique, one of a kind individuals and that is something to be proud of and appreciate.
Consider the things in your life that you find easy or enjoyable. You can bet that there will be many others who don't share that talent or ability. These are our gifts and we want to find them and follow them and strengthen them and we want to help young people explore and follow their unique strengths as well.
Our capacity
When we face significant challenges in our lives it can sometimes feel completely overwhelming or even insurmountable. some might ask, 'How can I or will I deal with this?' 'How can I possibly overcome this?'
That's when it's good to remember how far we have come or how much resilience and grit we already possess. When we think back to a time in our lives when we DID manage an obstacle and we DID bounce forward and keep moving despite the problem, then we can keep building our inner strength and self-reliance and confidence, and we can keep HOPE alive, and that is a powerful gift.
Our tribe
These are the people in our lives who are 'our people.' They might be relatives or friends, and family can mean so many things to so many people although the key consistent ingredients are care, love, respect and mutual support.
Whoever these people are in our lives, and there might only be one or two, they are gifts, as we are gifts to them. They are the people we can lean on when we need to and who we can support when they need us. And we can laugh and play and cry and share all our emotions.
Cherish these relationships and connect to gratitude and appreciation and connection and love when you are with them in person or thinking of them or connecting with them in any way you can.
Our ability to experience simple joys
The smell of a fresh cup of coffee, the way the light bounces off a window, the breeze in the trees, the warmth of the sun, a smile with a stranger in the supermarket.
There are so many simple joys that are available to us in any given moment, that generally don't cost money and are available to virtually all human beings, and when we connect with them and hold them in our thoughts and hearts for a moment, we are actually building more positive neural pathways in our brains, allowing us to build our capacity to experience MORE joy.
At PLS we call these highlights and they are within us, in our relationships with others, in our senses and the smallest daily experiences, and these are the gifts that can just keep on giving.
From all of us at Positive Living Skills, to all our friends and followers this holiday season, we wish you the gift of time, of simple joys, to realise and appreciate your unique strengths and your capacity, to experience love and connection with your people and connection with yourself.
We look forward to connecting with you again in the New Year.
Until next time,
The PLS team