Elevator Down

I’ve been talking to a lot of clients about holiday strategies to manage stress, relationship conflicts, loneliness and loss, pressures of high expectations, and resentments around an imbalance of family holiday labor. It’s a lot. All happening in a month that is supposed to be spent in awe and the wonder of miracles. 

It seems that December is hard for many of us, in different ways. 

For some it is the expectation that we should be happy, but happiness feels far away. For some it is disappointment that family can’t all be together. For others it is a month of pressure to be at all the things, make all of the things, have the right things to wear, and make it magical for children. 

When your head is about to burst with chaotic thinking, anger, frustration, or any big emotions, it can help to take an imaginary elevator down to your heart. 

Picture this as an elevator leaving your brain and traveling down to your heart. 

To do this practice, I imagine elevator doors opening on the level of my brain. I step in and push the heart button. I sense the elevator leaving the chaos at the top my head, traveling down to my heart. As you do this practice a few times, you will start to feel calmer as you leave your head. Once I reach my heart, the doors open and my perspective changes. I’m now at the level of peace instead of over-thinking. I can consider things from a place of love rather than ego. I can see things with compassion instead of needing to be right or getting what I want. 

Sometimes I do this with my eyes closed and other times I will put a hand in front of me near the top of my head (like a salute) and slowing move my hand down to my heart. There is something about this visual that helps to turn down the mind-chatter. If I’m really searching for answers, I’ll make a stop at my heart to check in and then take the elevator even lower to where it feels like my soul lives in my body (where we get the expression “gut feel” for our intuition).

Our heads are full of chatter.

Commentary in our minds is loud and constant about what everyone is doing, thinking, and saying. We are thinking ahead, reading the room, sensing threats, comparing our performance, looking for clues, wondering if we are enough, and trying to appear sane all at the same time.

Our hearts are quieter.

There is a calm loving presence deep within each of our hearts. There we know what is true, loving, right, and compassionate. Answers to our questions have a peaceful air, not rushed, urgent, or harried. Tuning into our hearts leads us to feeling more grounded in truth. 

So ride the elevator down this holiday season. Sometimes it is just a quick visit before we are back in our heads, but even a quick trip to your heart is one worth taking. 

Holding the door open for you,