Give yourself this very precious gift
Christmas gets me every year. The tree’s still not up. There’s not a single gift in our house yet. Rum ball making is behind schedule. Plans for Christmas lunch are elusive. And I have absolutely no desire to set foot in the shops. I’ve been avoiding them all week. I mean, have you seen the centre carparks? They are scary.
I’m not sure I can face the hordes of people who, just like me, will have (again) left their holiday shopping to the last minute. Stall tactics never work well this time of the year though. We have to face the carols at some stage. At the peak of the latest COVID wave no less. Planning ahead or organising home deliveries would have been wise.
But life is pretty full. And I, like many others, am pretty tired. Taking a few prescribed weeks off is most welcome. A clear schedule, quiet time with our loved ones and a large dose of nature are all I crave right now. That, and rum balls (I better get cracking).
What another wild year it’s been. We haven’t stopped. Think back to this time last year. None of us started 2022 feeling replenished. COVID infections gathered pace and swept through the country at warp speed. The fear-fuelled state we had been living in for more than two years clashed head on with the WA borders reopening in March. Health and social care workers and educators bore the brunt of it.
Anxiety was high. For children and teens returning to school around that time, and their parents, too. It still remains for some. Particularly those living with severe illness and disability. People continue to isolate for the sake of their health, for their life. The extreme levels of stress we’ve been subjected to, the uncertainty and instability, have left us feeling thoroughly wrung out.
Nothing about the past three years has been easy — a global pandemic, extreme weather events and increasing natural disasters, food, medicine and supply shortages, a national housing and cost-of-living crisis . . . violence and war. The trauma is real.
We’ve been in a state of survival. Constantly pivoting, iterating and adapting to ever-changing circumstances, beyond our own personal control. We’re seeing people’s workloads increase, more than is reasonable, with little time to rest. Our tolerance for stress is diminishing.
We’re carving more meaningful relationships and closer community bonds. For many, health and wellbeing — how and where they live and work — has become more important. People are questioning the makeup of our social structures and livelihoods and the best use of their time and talent to support their personal health needs and lifestyle choices.
One thing is pretty clear, we’re all crying out to reduce the burden of stress in our lives.
It’s perfectly reasonable if you’re feeling drained or emotionally dehydrated right now. Because, quite frankly, who isn’t over the brouhaha? The hyper-adrenalised state we’ve sustained for the past three years is abnormal. It’s dangerous for our health, too. If you’re walking a thin line between buoyancy and burnout, it’s OK to stop. Give yourself a break. A proper break — both physically and psychologically.
Our bodies, hearts and minds need ample time to recalibrate. Doing so is not lazy or inefficient. It’s necessary. Choose rest. Create space. Find peace. Ditch the social pressures and demands. Calm the constant chatter in your mind. And sink deep, into the depths of stillness. Don’t add to the chaos and tumult that is all around us, be an antidote to it. Give yourself the gift of relaxation this Christmas.
This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 17 December 2022.