Take the stress out of family time this holiday season

Family Time: the Headspace way

We’ve hand-picked a special collection of guided meditations to help you develop and maintain an equilibrium during the upcoming season of holiday stress, regardless of who you will be spending time with or the nature of the relationships. We’ve got you, and we’re here to provide an extra layer of support.

Healthy Conversations Healthy communication is not always straightforward in a family dynamic—the atmosphere can be sometimes be awkward, loaded, prickly, or downright heated—but we don’t have to contribute to all the reactivity; we can learn to step back and respond in a considered way.

• Managing conflict (to create the spaciousness to diffuse any situation)
• Listening to others (to promote the art of active listening so others can feel heard)

Strengthening relationships We cannot control what others think or say, but we can choose how we respond. Relationships  — be they partners, families, or friends — occupy a lot of our thinking time, so these exercises are designed to encourage understanding, kindness, and unconditional love.

• Relationship course (to consider how we interact with others)
• Acceptance course (to acknowledge our own capacities and limitations)
• Dealing with regret (to learn how to let go of things we cannot redo or undo)
• Happiness of others (animation)

Personal space Sometimes we need to peel away from a gathering and create our own space. These exercises are designed for you to step away, reset, refresh, and return to people, feeling calmer, with increased clarity.

• Taking a break (to help you unwind and find some “me time”)
• Walking in the city (a chance to connect with yourself and the wider world)
• Losing your temper (an SOS exercise that’s an alternative to counting to 10)

For kids Finding the right activities and time for children can present another set of challenges and responsibilities. Here are some exercises to help you (and them).

• Sleep, ages 3-5 (to calm their minds and ease them into a place of rest)
• Calm, ages 6-8 (a simple, fun, and relaxing breathing exercise)
• Paying Attention, ages 9-12 (using imagination to practice a precise kind of focus)

We understand that family time can be both precious and challenging at once. While we may not have much choice in who we are seated next to at a holiday meal, we can choose how we relate to them. A shift in perspective can guide how we approach, handle, and ideally enjoy our time with loved ones.