The holiday season is the busiest time of the year, filled with parties, shopping and celebrations. Although considered the "most wonderful time of the year" as the song goes, it can also be the most stressful. There are many strategies to combat holiday stress such as exercise, sleep, and proper nutrition, but not everyone thinks of meditation.

Ramita Bonadonna, Ph.D., R.N., psychiatric consultation liaison nurse, provides an overview of meditation and demonstrates the stress-relieving benefits for dealing with holiday stress.

Meditation is an ancient practice of training attention, she said. If one sits still for just a few moments and simply focuses attention on the breath, for example, it quickly becomes evident that the mind is a very unruly thing with thoughts jump from one topic to another to another.

There are many different ways to practice meditation, and all cultures and religions have their version. One of the most basic is breath awareness: bringing all of one's attention to focus on the in and out breath, experiencing the way the body feels as it breathes and returning to the breath whenever attention strays. This is not a process of forcing attention, but gently bringing attention back, over and over again, to the breath.

Bonadonna said meditation practice sounds simple, but it is not easy, so some people wonder why they should make the effort.

"When the mind is preoccupied with events from the past, or anticipating the future, we miss the present moment, the only moment we have. With practice, we learn to let go of mental distractions and direct the attention to experiencing life, right here and now. When the skill of directing attention is developed, it becomes possible to find deep satisfaction in the midst of the simplest daily activity."

Bonadonna encourages everyone to give themselves the gift of presence for the holidays by trying out meditation.

Employee Wellness events

Employee Fitness Series: A free Pilates class will be held from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m., Dec. 13 at the MUSC Wellness Center. Participants will receive a free day pass to the wellness center. Email musc-empwell@musc.edu.

Lunch & Learn: Sign up for a Holiday Stress Management session from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m., Dec. 14, Room 102, Colbert Education Center & Library. Tammy Yarnall, clinical instructor with MUSC Employee Assistance Program, will discuss strategies for navigating holiday stress without negative effects. Space is limited. Email musc-empwell@musc.edu.