Special issue: Self-gift guide
Your presence is the present this season
Gift guides are flying high and low on this app. The constant pressure to discover and gift the very best thing can leave you comparing your wealth, tastes, organizational capabilities, and timelines with perfect strangers. It’s a lot!
In between your well-intentioned shopping, how about you take a moment to gift yourself some love ❤️?
Self-gift Guide for 2024
Nature hug
Go outside. Can you do it right now? Humans are biophilic creatures. Our tender nervous systems are soothed by green leaves, rolling waves, mountainous horizons, and golden sunshine. Miraculously, or by design, looking at a tree for a few minutes can reduce your blood pressure and cortisol levels. Receive the gift that’s waiting for you outside.
New perspective
Toss out expired viewpoints. If you’ve been in a rut a shiny new perspective is a great gift. Recently, I’ve been shaking off the dust on some old thoughts by reading Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals which upended my long-standing belief that accomplishing more, more, more would make me happier. Another perspective shift gift is the excellent Substack Experimental History by Adam Mastroianni. I always walk away from his posts with an extra window in my mental walls.
Calm corner
Is there a spot in your environment that’s niggling at you? An overflowing mail basket, messy shoe pile, and counter of clutter are a few of my saddening/maddening spots. If neatness soothes your soul, try this out. Set a timer for 10 minutes, turn on your favorite song, and give yourself the gift a tiny tiny. You‘ walk away with a calm corner to look at when the rest of your space feels overwhelming.
Whimsy treat
Hey there, you deserve a little joy. Can you pick yourself a flower? Make yourself a giant piece of toast with salted butter and honey? Stick googly eyes on the models’ faces in your holiday catalogs? If you don’t have a basket of googly eye stickers on hand this is also a good self-gift. A dose of whimsy can’t be discounted this holiday season. Do something you want for the sake of doing it. Life is made of moments. Your moment to be whimsical is now.
Generous spark
We feel happiness through helping others. Gift yourself the feeling of goodness by giving. Generosity of time and spirit are among the lovliest gifts someone can receive. Do you have time and energy to run an errand for someone, write a letter of appreciation, send a loving text, forgive someone (big ask I know), or simply buy a coffee for the harried person behind you in line? Generosity is the gift that gives back.
Happy holidays friends!