The year is drawing to a close and Christmas is just around the corner. The last gifts still need to be bought. A flurry of activity and excitement is building. Families are coming together and expectations are rising. Sadly, some people are alone. But for everyone, it's an emotionally charged time, not always filled with joy and happiness, but often characterized by high stress levels.

It is important to focus on the topic of mindfulness in order to give peace, tranquility, physical and mental well-being as well as joy the chance to take hold.

The concept of mindfulness originated in ancient Buddhism (approximately 2,500 years old) as a central meditation practice and is designed to perceive the present moment without judgment. Molecular biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced Buddhist mindfulness practices into Western medicine in the 1970s to help patients with chronic pain. He developed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which detached mindfulness from its purely religious context and made it a universal method for stress management, psychotherapy, and prevention. Today, mindfulness is often practiced as non-judgmental, present-moment awareness of experience, which helps to observe thoughts and emotions without being swept away by them.

Stress arises from our own interpretation of certain situations and also from our own (in)action. The first realization, therefore, is that I contribute to my own stress. We must try to minimize the burden we place on ourselves through our own behavior.

Let's start with nutrition. For example, I have a choice about what and how much I eat. Try to eat more quality (i.e., fresh and vegetable-heavy) and less quantity (avoid large amounts of starchy side dishes). Eat slowly and pay attention to your feeling of fullness. Even if we learn it partly in childhood, we don't always have to finish everything on our plates. Especially when fatty and carbohydrate-rich dishes are on the menu, make sure to include bitter greens (chicory, radicchio, arugula, or dandelion) with your meal, as these support liver function and the entire digestive process.

Of course, the holidays invite us to sleep in, relax, and chat with family and friends. We should let our minds wander. But ideally, we should also use this extra time for exercise, perhaps with short walks, to continue our conversations. Thirty minutes a day would be a wonderful amount to get a little more active. Fresh air stimulates circulation and digestion, stabilizes blood sugar after meals, and brings mental balance. A leisurely walk after eating could become a new family ritual. Stress, tension, and guilt will melt away, making room for energy and good cheer. Then we can enjoy our next meal without any guilt.

Last but not least, we should pay attention to our relaxation and mental balance . The best way to achieve this is to retreat to a quiet corner for a short moment. Ideally, we can start with a short breathing exercise in the morning before breakfast. Three to four minutes of conscious abdominal breathing can noticeably help: it brings calm, gathers thoughts, and clears the mind. These short breathing meditations can also promote peace and relaxation throughout the day.

So let's approach the holidays with a conscious sense of serenity and gratitude, because happiness is always a matter of expectations. Let's not expect too much from others, gifts, or celebrations. Let's remind ourselves that we still live in a safe, law-abiding world and that we are actually doing very well on many levels. Let's acknowledge how much we have accomplished again this year. Let's be aware that we are hopefully healthy and, with that in mind, can still do many things. Let's approach others with goodwill and joy, and we will receive kindness in return.

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