November 2020

I recently took a guided meditation class – virtually, of course. It was a half-hour class, in which the coach guides you through thoughts and rest points so that both your mind and body reach a state of full relaxation. I thought it would be good for me, but it was one of the hardest things I have ever done – and I have done hard things like run marathons and give birth!

I found it very difficult because sitting still for an extended period of time to let my mind wander is not my thing. I think it is because my mind tends to wander to all the things I need to do, or to whatever is the topic of the day. The guidance the coach gave was intended to move my mind away from all those things, but it just didn’t happen. All I could think about was work or family, or all the things I could be doing, but instead, I was just lying there doing nothing.

So what has your mind occupied these days? Is it still COVID-19? It is for me. It seems to me that no matter who I talk to, and no matter how many times we have talked this year, our conversation still turns to COVID, especially now with the holidays approaching. Could that make this season any more stressful?

I love the holidays: gathering with family, eating a lot of food, drinking some wine, winning at board games. It’s all fun! How will we celebrate this year and remain safe and healthy? We usually host Thanksgiving and have a houseful of fun, but not only do we have higher risked individuals who would be joining us, we have people who would come from all over. Some of them feel comfortable gathering inside and others do not. The healthcare community encourages us to stay home and celebrate virtually, but I think that feels a lot like taking another guided meditation class – really hard!

My sister-in-law usual hosts a big Christmas with over 20 people from all over the state. She’s high risk and we would never forgive ourselves if we were the ones to carry COVID into her home and endanger her health. Her house does not allow for social distancing, but we would really miss not celebrating with everyone.

Here’s the part where I tell you how my guided mediation allowed me the clear mind to develop a clever solution to share, and you think, “Wow! I’m so glad I read this!” Well, I don’t have a solution, but I do want to hear what you think! How are you and your family celebrating this year? Do you have a creative idea you want to share? Email me at stacy.caudill@raymondjames.com Maybe these solutions will prompt a special edition post….it depends on you!

Whatever you decide to do for the holidays this year, I think we can agree it will be memorable. My best advice is to have a plan as a family, so everyone is on the same page. It might not be what we want it to look like, but we will certainly never forget it.