Is It Halloween, Already?

(This blog was originally posted on July 28, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

What is the clearest indication that time—and the year—is really is flying by? When catalogs for school clothing, Halloween decorations/costumes and Christmas gifts start to arrive! But that begs two questions: Where has the year gone in the first place? And why are we in such a rush for the next season to arrive when we’re barely in the middle of the current one? It’s still September (albeit, barely)! When did the world start moving so quickly that it wasn’t enough to live in the moment and enjoy (or deal with) whatever is going on in our lives right now? Doesn’t anyone take time to smell the roses anymore?

Time passes no matter what we are doing—or not. Adults notice that time seems to move much more quickly than we remember it doing when we were young children or teenagers. But that is just a perception, not reality. The more activities we have to do and the more responsibilities we have to fulfill, the more message units bombard and even overload our conscious minds. One common and very natural product of this mental overload is “hypnosis.” We are aware of our surroundings as we go about our day-to-day activities and fulfill our responsibilities. However, a very common characteristic of this state is varying degrees of amnesia and/or time-distortion; we don’t necessarily remember every detail of those days which contributes to the illusion of time rushing by or seeming to stand still.

Other than signs in nature that the seasons are changing—hot summer temperatures followed by changing colors of the foliage—the arrival of holiday catalogs is one of the most significant indicators that time is flying by. I understand why vendors send catalogs to promote their wares and attract their customers’ attention about upcoming products. However, it seems like they are arriving in our regular or electronic mailboxes earlier and earlier, typically with several months until the holiday actually arrives. Am I the only one who loses interest and even feels burned-out looking at, seeing and reading advertisement for Jack ’o Lanterns and winter clothing starting from the middle of July?

Whether you are consciously aware of this or not, these catalogs and their associated promotions induce stress:  Should I buy this item now or wait until it goes on sale? What if the company sells out of it before I have a change to order it? What if so-and-so doesn’t like the gift I selected? The merchant is ostensibly promoting a product that you, the customer, wants/needs/may enjoy and improve the holiday celebration; however, their goal is ultimately to persuade you to make a purchase. The shiny paper, energetic product descriptions and “special deal” marketed in the catalog facilitates those sales by overloading the readers’ subconscious mind and, yes, increasing their suggestibility to buy one or several of those items.

Om.

I can’t turn back the clock to a time when I was younger and the days rolled leisurely by without a care in the world. However, my hypnotherapy training has helped me learn how to relax and slow waaaaay down so I don’t keep rushing mindlessly from event to event during the year. I am more aware of the ways my body benefits from being physically relaxed so I can focus on what I want to do. This relaxed state and increased awareness enables me to effectively resist the temptation of purchasing items I do not need or want while opening my senses to the timeless beauty of the changing seasons. I want to enjoy and celebrate the beauty and bounty that every day has to offer, not just days that the economy and major retail stores dictate are more important or deserve more attention than others. Furthermore, when every day is precious, I am happy to wait to celebrate a holiday until the actual date rolls around on the calendar 39 days from today.

 Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/

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