By in Mindfulness

SNOWGLOBE THINKING or a Peaceful Mind?

Christmas is the time for snow globes, wouldn’t you say?  They’re everywhere in the shops. Jolly little effigies of Santa and reindeer and robins and holly and all those other icons that have come to remind us of Christmas happiness.  It’s fun to pick them up and create a mini-blizzard and see the little figurines disappear in a swirl of white ‘snow’. They put a smile on your face.

But how smiling can you do if the flurry of activity in those little snow globes actually represents the busy-ness and agitation going on inside your head?  What about clarity, peace and laughter?

At this time of year there really is so much to do, and so many things to remember and worries and concerns about family and friends and squabbles and gifts and cards and turkey and the tree and the kids and whose parents shall we go to and how on earth can we fit 17 people around our table?  Add in a deadline and it’s no wonder that the contents of your mind feel as shaken up as the contents of a typical snow globe. When what we really need to make Christmas happy is an opportunity to relax and refresh ourselves surrounded by love and contentment.

We tell ourselves the good news that by the time everyone’s back to work all – or at least most -of the dust will have settled and we’ll be back to feeling ‘normal’ again   But wait! What is your ‘normal’? For some people feeling normal means having just as much going on in their mind and thoughts as you would ever expect to see in the average snow globe.  Snow globe thinking takes away your sense of peace.

If this sounds like you, there are two potential problems to consider.  Firstly a ‘snow globe’ mind is a stressed mind and, whilst a little bit of tension doesn’t do us any harm and can actually help us to get things done when we’re under pressure, to be carrying the cumulative effects of stress around can most definitely damage not only our mental but also our physical health.  It will certainly put our happiness in jeopardy.

The thing is, we were never designed to be stressed 24/7.  All that adrenalin that floods our mind and body when we experience stress was intended to keep us safe when danger was present or imminent, ready for fight or flight.  Constant stress is unsustainable; that’s why so many people are unable to work or function properly, taking time off work and taking medication to try to allow their mind and body to recuperate.  If only they could calm down the agitation in their mind so that peace and calm can claim their rightful place.



It’s reassuring to realise that the solution to stress may be simpler than you think.  The stress we create for ourselves with snow globe thinking can be easily dealt with for many people.  As soon as you stop shaking and agitating the snow globe, once you put it down and leave it be, all that agitation starts to settle down; the less you do with it, the faster peace and stillness take over, and happiness is restored, leaving the opportunity for clarity to shine through. Yes, snow globe thinking is all in the mind and can be stilled if you only relax and do nothing until it has settled.  It is possible to put the ‘Merry’ back in Christmas and the happiness back in your heart.

If you need help with how to make this mind shift, please get in touch.  I wish you a calm and peaceful Happy Christmas and New Year full of promise.

This article was written by Judy Hoskins from Mindshift Coaching.

Louise
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