Yesterday, before the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving weekend commenced, I woke up earlier than I needed, started the tea kettle, and slipped on my rain boots. Ice crystals were still on the patio table, and the world was just shaking awake on an uncharacteristically warm November morning as I went and opened up the chicken coop. On normal days it’s a quick rush to give them their food for the day, make sure they have clean water, and check for an egg but not yesterday. Yesterday’s snacks were the thanksgiving prep scraps, and I savored the quiet moments with them at my feet pecking away at butternut squash, onion, celery, and apple. I just love their quirky mannerisms and silly behavior, but it is something I often don’t take the time to watch. After a few minutes of this I went inside to make my tea, Cinnamon Apple loose leaf, and heat up a quick morning breakfast of a Glutino Frosted Strawberry toaster pastry*. I then set myself out on the patio at the still thawing table and gave myself time to just sit. Just me, my tea and it’s billowing steam, the toaster pastry, brief hints of a warm sun, and the noises of a still waking world.

I can’t tell you how important these slow mornings have become, these moments of solitude where its just you and your immediate surroundings. All too often we are spread too thin, we rush from moment to moment without fully recognizing what’s going on. But this recognition is imperative, and not only when it is just you. On Tuesday night we went out for a friends birthday at a usual spot, but this time picked to sit at a table rather than the bar where we would have gotten happy hour deals. Yes this meant spending more money but it also meant less tension to feel rushed, and the ability to see each other. We lounged through several rounds of ordering sushi and laughed harder than I remember in weeks for three hours, not even realizing that that time had passed. But in that time I felt myself recharging, I felt bits of me that had been floating in various directions bring themselves back home, and I felt the pressure of needing to rush subside. I felt that continue yesterday morning as I sat out on the patio.

These moments help us recenter ourselves, and they are oh so important around the holiday season when we feel pressured to live up to rushed standards that were written out for us by the business industry. We can have these moments AND fulfill our responsibilities. Here are some of my tips how:

1. Give yourself at least 30 minutes a day where you are disconnected from the internet. Yes this means phones, computers, ipad: EVERYTHING.

2. Focus on doing things slowly. I don’t mean slow in a comical ‘slow motion’ sense, I mean being mindful of what you are doing and being aware of each task you complete.

3. Come up with some comforting ‘rituals’. For me, especially in the fall and winter, I light candles at night and try not to listen to music (unless it is calming music) past 10pm on most nights. I also try to have warm tea in the morning and evening, but it has been a bit too warm for me currently.

4. When spending time with friends, look at them and really listen. Eye contact isn’t easy for some, but try to focus on the person who you are with using your visual and auditory senses.

5. When alone still use those senses to be present and conscious of what surrounds you. Listen for noises you might often overlook like the crinkle of leaves in the wind, acknowledge the different tastes you have in a single bit etc.

6. Let yourself have fun. Not in the ‘let’s party’ sense, but in the try to not to be so hard on yourself sense. Like to be goofy but feel it makes you look immature? Who cares! And try to have fun even when your doing ‘chores’ like cooking batches of holiday cookies or shopping.

I find the above help me put the world on slow motion and calm my brain and with that I can reconnect to myself, my environment, and those around me. There is something significant in pulling your world tightly around you on a brisk morning, or a calm evening, and simply being. So give yourself time to recharge, before your battery runs so low that recharging is no longer an option.

*Glutino was gracious enough to send me a sample of these toaster pastries for the holiday and I am happy to say I find them delicious. Their original ones were a bit dry, but these are the perfect balance of the sugary coating you have on pop tarts as a kid and a less sugary center. I really enjoyed them, and so did my husband who is typically against sugary breakfast treats!