Celebrations are a time of joy and unity that brings everyone you love together, and even the community. They are essential as celebrations can highlight all sorts of things from beginnings and endings to religious festivities and life milestones. It allows you and everyone you love to have fun together and enjoy activities to celebrate you, others, or everybody.
However, the power of celebrating doesn’t stop there. It can actually be therapeutic and bring happiness to you and everyone else. The feeling of joy can be enhanced by celebrating mindfully. This is where you are fully present and engaged in the here and now, not planning for the future, dwelling on past memories or getting hung up on the to-do list. It can be hard to achieve this in the whirlwind of excitement and buzz of fun, but this guide can help you to celebrate mindfully to spread joy and bring happiness.
Why celebrating is important
It can be very easy to overlook the power of celebration with hectic lifestyles and so much going on in the world. A celebration isn’t just about the gathering, event or party. Instead, we should be more mindful and focus on seeing the good in our lives no matter how small they are.
Spreads positivity and gives gratitude
Celebrating encourages you to be grateful and is a very positive thing to do. If you reflect on the good parts of your life, you can instantly avoid negative thoughts and feelings. This opens you up to being appreciative of everything you have. A celebration highlights what is going well in your life, as well as others. It should be a reminder that, no matter what you are facing in your life, there are always reasons for you to be thankful.
Taking time in a celebration to have gratitude can positively affect your mental health. It can reduce stress, boost mood and improve overall satisfaction with life.
Boosts mental health
Celebrating whatever you can doesn’t only feel good, but it’s actually really good for you. If you mindfully celebrate, you can trigger dopamine and endorphins which are the feel-good hormones. These make you feel happy and joyful, improving your mood and reducing stress.
If you celebrate more, you can relieve any stress you may be facing. Celebrations let you step away from daily life and give you a reason to relax. This small break recharges your mind, improving focus, creativity and productivity. Taking time to celebrate whatever you like as often as possible is really good at combating burnout and avoiding mental exhaustion.
Connects the community
As we are very social beings, we love connecting and mingling with new people. No matter if it’s friends, family, colleagues or strangers, connecting with others can bring us joy. Celebrations are one of the best ways to socialise and mingle as it brings everyone together in one place. Whatever the reason for the celebration, it can be a way to share joy and connection.
As you get together with your loved ones and the community, you begin to recognise each other’s experiences and accomplishments. This forms strong and deep relationships and reminds you that you aren’t alone in whatever you’re facing in life. When you celebrate with a group of people, it gives you the opportunity to support each other. You can be there to celebrate someone else, or you could be celebrating everybody, showing your support for your loved ones while they support you!
How to celebrate mindfully
Celebrating mindfully allows you to take the moment in and enjoy the present. It can help boost your mental wellbeing while allowing you to relax before and during the celebration. Whether it’s a birthday party, wedding or gathering to celebrate a milestone, stress can often overshadow the excitement and joy of celebrating. If you try and be more mindful, this can prevent stress from overtaking the occasion.
Reflect and appreciate
It’s important to reflect on what you have in life and appreciate everything and everybody you have. Take a moment before the celebration to stop and reflect on what you can be grateful for, what you’ve achieved in life or what you’ve learned. This is a simple way to lower your stress and anxiety for the celebration while also deepening the celebration. It allows you to turn the fleeting happy moment into something that is meaningful.
It’s also a great opportunity to think about those less fortunate and take action to spread the joy you feel celebrating festivities to these people. This can be done by passing a gift for Christmas to the homeless or giving Qurbani to the poor to help them properly celebrate Eid al Adha.
As well as this, allow yourself to become immersed in the celebration rather than rushing through it. Savour the moment and utilise your senses to take in every precious part of the event. Share stories, talk about your life and appreciate the people that surround you as this is what makes a celebration utterly special.
Share your joy
Celebrating other peoples’ achievements is as essential as celebrating your own. Make sure that you support your loved ones when they achieve a milestone or a small meaningful action. Even if it’s at a celebration for you, make sure you take time to also celebrate them to strengthen your relationships and spread positivity. Doing this can create an atmosphere of encouragement and mutual respect.
Be an active and mindful listener
During any celebration or event, you need to be fully present in the moment. A great way to do this is to be an active listener. If you’re in a group of people and someone is sharing a story or conversation with you, try to fully focus on what they are saying. Don’t even plan a response in your head as they talk and properly take in what they have to say. Process every word and don’t interrupt to make them feel heard and supported. Doing this strengthens your relationships and makes interactions much more meaningful.
Have intentional quiet time
Amidst the chaos of any celebration, try to take moments for intentional quiet time. Taking a break away from the noise to enjoy a few minutes of silence can instantly make you feel refreshed. Find the beauty in quiet moments where you can take time to yourself to breathe. This prevents you from getting overwhelmed with the celebration and allows you to enjoy every moment. You could take the quiet time to reflect on the celebration so far or just do some breathing exercises to keep the stress away.
Set mindful boundaries
During every type of celebration, there will always be activities or conversations that others try to encourage you to partake in which can lead to stress for you. It is best to identify the things you’re comfortable with and the things you’re not. Mindful celebrating is all about making the experience positive for you and living in the moment. It doesn’t mean you have to say yes to everything. Set mindful boundaries for yourself in terms of conversation topics or activities that may be unpleasant or stressful for you. Learn to say no when people try to entice you to do something you don’t want to do and don’t feel bad for turning something down. Doing this protects your wellbeing and energy, making you happier with the celebration.
The power of celebration is stronger than many realise. It’s not only about marking something significant but it’s about looking after your mind, body and soul. It focuses on being present in the moment to connect, have gratitude and improve your wellbeing. So, next time you celebrate something, try to implement mindfulness to fully enjoy the experience.