The last month of the year has begun and logically it´s time to slow down. Darkness has penetrated our homes as a reminder of rest and silence. We set up our christmas trees, candles, cozy socks and blankets become part of our daily life this time a year. Through our windows we can see the decorations of lights signaling hope for happy endings.  We take a walk in the city to enjoy the season and suddenly we notice the streets filled with people rushing, looking for the best discounts or items, running from one store to another with a list in hand that seems to bring more stress and frustration than joy.

I used to accept shopping as part of the christmas tradition, for most of us is a way to show appreciation for our loved ones. However, at the end of the day I was always left feeling exhausted, with a headache and low back pain. That led me to question the reasons why I decide to repeat that behavior every single year, a lot came out of this questioning. I found a lot of excuses to second place myself disguised as reasons to show appreciation. What kind of love would support me to suffer in any degree at cost of traditions, family members or should be´s?

I have never been a fan of shopping or consumerism but I am not against it either. The way forward that will benefit all of us is through constant self loving choice. So, whether you actually enjoy buying gifts on christmas or not, the gift we should all be asking for is to STOP. Simply stop, at any moment in any place as many times as it’s required. Once we stop we can choose to slower our breath (I recommend inhales and exhales to the count of 6), close our eyes and give ourselves the opportunity to refocus and chose to act according to our calm love deserving self. 

You see, it is never about what we do, it is always about HOW we do it. It is about the intentions and feelings our actions carry and the way to discover this requires us to STOP. I assure you that by giving yourself the gift of stopping and having bravery to act according to what benefits you the most, your life will start to shape up for the better and you will truly be blessed with joy this christmas.