During the holidays, routines get interrupted. That’s not a bad thing. Variety is one of the Six Human Needs and can bring fun to our lives. Novel experiences are great for the brain! But disruptions can also cause us to forget good habits that we’ve been working on. Anything from an illness to a fun vacation can throw us off our groove.

This last week I’ve been feeling particularly out-of-sorts (i.e. in the depths of despair – yes, I’m aware of the melodramatic tone). Over the last few years, I’ve loved the amount of variety in my life. But even with all the changes, I was practicing many good habits such as: eating more fruits and vegetables and less sugar, regular meditation practice, regular spiritual practice, daily service to others and yoga three times per week. All those things helped diminish negative thinking, depression, and physical pain. They also gave me more resilience and energy to face the inevitable changes that life brings.

Lately, it seems I’ve been grasping to hold onto those habits, rather than enjoying what they do for me. When I feel forced, I tend to resist whatever is pushing me. Slowly, each of the positive activities diminished. It was important for me to evaluate the reality of my life in this moment.

I sat in meditation this morning and did a yoga flow this afternoon. There is no way to fix weeks or months of disruption to your good habits in one session, but one step on a path leads to the next. Whatever disruptions you’re facing in life, you can still choose the path of your response. Responding to my dark mood with light activities took me two steps up the path of light. I enjoy opening this gift again.

Try this: STOP. Stop and ask yourself if you’ve let something positive in your life fall away. Take a deep breath – instead of beating yourself up, just be aware. Observe the thoughts, feelings and body reactions with kindly curiosity of not doing the good habits. Observe how good it feels to take positive action in the most nurturing way. That could be exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, working on an enjoyable hobby, daily meditation, etc. Proceed to take one positive action in this moment. Celebrate. Repeat.

Sending my love and encouragement, friends. I know how hard it can be to press forward with positive action. I believe in you. I believe in me. We’ve got this!