Advent is a thing! We are already churning through December! Maybe you are still working through that to-do list, or maybe you’ve jumped on the stress-free advent bandwagon. Either way, I’m here for a “part II” check-in. I practice what I preach, so I thought I’d give some reflections this week on how things are going for me. Below are the stress-free advent guidelines, followed by my status update. Feel free to share yours in the comments!
1. My Stillness Diet
This is H.A.R.D. people. I so often want to escape the present, I didn’t even REALIZE it. From getting ready in the morning to unloading the dishwasher, it seemed I was reaching for my phone in every instance. But I persevered! I’m finding a few things that have changed in the past week due to this “diet.” For one, I use my phone WAY less. More battery life, which is nice. Plus my kid doesn’t see me with me holding it all of the time, which I like. I used to think I’d be “missing out” on all the news, google searches and whatever else I used my phone for to burn time. But turns out I don’t really. I feel much calmer in general. Primarily because I’m not concerned where the phone is, I think. Also, I get less annoyed by traffic. I think the more you stop “filling” time with distractions, the more readily you can just “be” and that “being” feels good.
2. Try Monotasking
Again, who knew this was so hard? I feel like as moms we instantly disregard monotasking. I have to say I’ve accomplished WAY less. The house isn’t clean, and I actually caved and hired someone to come monthly to ease my guilt. So less is done, but I have to say things have improved in efficiency. Because I don’t have the time to spend, what I do I tend to do fairly well. Then there are activities that I usually spend watching TV or reading, namely eating! Eating with no distractions feels very, very odd. But I have to say, I was way more mindful about sitting down to a meal, I remembered to say grace (how oft we forget!) and I picked up on my hunger/full cues more readily. Progress? I think so. I do miss listening to music, though. And sitting still listening to an audiobook is so very hard. So in summary, I’m definitely reading less but when I do I’m retaining much more.
3. Use an Advent Devotional
I love using my devotional at night! Right before bed it’s just the perfect activity to orient myself and centering my spirit from the day’s stressors. The gift of picking a nice slim volume is I never feel rushed through it. I can savor every word and really let the reading marinate, mucho success!
So there you have it. I’ll check in as the weeks go by on how I’m doing. I think it’s important that we be kind on ourselves this season, and every season. We are God’s perfect gift. We don’t have to be perfect or even good at anything to win his favor. Have a great week!
All of these things are such good practices!!