Wellness Wednesday – “The Advent Well-Being Challenge”
For this week’s Wellness Wednesday blog, we are going to do something a little different. This Sunday, we begin the season of Advent. Advent is a season of waiting and expectation as we prepare to celebrate once again Jesus’ first coming as a tiny baby born in a manger in the town of Bethlehem, as well as our anticipation of Jesus’ second coming as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Many traditions surround the season of Advent, like the lighting of the candles on the Advent wreath and mid-week Advent worship services. And who can forget the pre-worship soup supper!
One Advent tradition that many people enjoy this time of year is keeping an Advent calendar, where on each day of Advent, you open a little door on a calendar and get a treat to eat or a little toy. One year, I even saw an Advent calendar where you could enjoy a different beer each day in the season of Advent. While this may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or beer, in this case), you can find an Advent calendar out there that is right up your alley to enjoy.
I want to share a different Advent calendar that I want to encourage you to try this year. I’m calling it the Advent Well-Being Challenge. For each day of Advent, starting this Sunday (Dec 3rd) and concluding on Christmas Eve (Dec 24th), there is a small idea for you to try to help you focus on your well-being. It is easy, especially for church workers, to be so focused on our preparations for Advent and Christmas celebrations that we forget to focus on our own health and well-being. Give these easy ideas a try, and make sure to give yourself the gift of wellness this Advent season.
