Day 1: This Holiday Season, Let Your Eyes—and Soul—Relax

The holidays are full of things to see—twinkling lights, glittering snowflakes, festive decorations, pageants, and those (sometimes regrettable) ugly sweaters. Our eyes are constantly busy, often locked on things just an arm’s length away, like our phones or to-do lists. But what if this constant focus on what's close is creating a hidden tension—not just in our eyes but in our hearts and minds, too?

Let’s take a moment to pause, reflect, and care for ourselves and our vision in a deeper way this season.

The Science Behind Seeing

Inside your eye is a tiny yet powerful muscle called the ciliary muscle. Its job? To change the shape of your lens so you can focus on objects at different distances—a process called accommodation.

When you’re constantly focusing on near things (near vision)—like your phone or computer screen—your ciliary muscle stays contracted. It's working hard. When you look at something far away (far vision), like the horizon or the stars, the ciliary muscle needs to relax, allowing the lens to flatten and your eyes to rest. So intentionally adding back far vision is a big deal for our eyes over time helping reduce eye strain, tension, and fatigue if we're just looking at close things most of the time.

The same way our eyes get stuck focusing on what's close, our lives can also get stuck. During the holidays, we may focus too much on the near and immediate—shopping, decorations, schedules—and forget to "look up" and appreciate the bigger picture.

A Reset for Your Eyes (and Soul)

Here’s a simple practice to give your ciliary muscle a break and, at the same time, help you pause the holiday hustle. As you walk to get the mail, run into the store through the parking lot, take a walk, or just pause for a moment looking out one of your windows, look out into the horizon as far as you can. Let your eyes relax as they look out. 

If you can do this for several consecutive minutes, you may feel your eyes soften, your breathing slow, and even a sense of calm entering in your body. You’re not just caring for your eyes—you’re giving your body, mind, heart, and soul space to rest.

Do your eyes stay relaxed though?

Can they continue to look at the horizon for longer than a minute without needing a break looking down? Did you know you're actually supposed to be able to hold the horizon for 15 minutes straight without looking down? 

If yes, that's great, you are off to a good start! Your eyes switch between near and far vision well. In no, this is a warning sign that your eyes are doing too much near vision work. The ciliary muscle is struggling to relax and wants to return to the near, contracted vision. 

What If It’s Hard to Focus?

For many of us, this exercise can be surprising. We can't keep our eyes up and focused on the horizon! Deep breath. If you struggle to stay focused on something far away, that’s okay! But, it is a warning sign of imbalance you don't want to ignore. Eventually you could even start to struggle to focus on near vision due to the accumulating strain. So it's worth tackling.

You just discovered something you can work on to bring balance back to your eyes and body.

We struggled too when we first started this! But our eyes are so valuable. Your eyes are a part of your brain.  It's worth pushing back against our near-vision-dominate culture (phones, we're looking at you!) to bring some daily care to our eyes in the form of intentional far vision.  Your ciliary muscle might need time to adjust, just like any other overworked part of your body.

Scroll down for a full reset. In the meantime, here’s how to make it easier:

• Start Small: It might even be a few seconds at first. Every second matters! Even short bursts of looking out a window or at the horizon as you walk somewhere can help. Now you can be intentional about looking up! 

• Blink More: When focusing, remember to blink gently to keep your eyes hydrated and comfortable. You don't need to strain to hold them open.

• Incorporate Movement: If sitting still feels difficult, it can help to take a short walk while letting your gaze drift to distant objects in the horizon. Notice if you keep trying to look down at the sidewalk!

• Be Patient: Just like a tight muscle takes time to loosen, your eyes may need practice relaxing. Consistency over time will make this easier. It's now a small act of care you can give your eyes every day intentionally. 

And remember: even if you can’t hold your focus, the effort itself is meaningful. You’re giving yourself permission to pause and care for your vision—and your heart. 

Why It’s Worth the Effort

Here's why we're starting Old Traditions, New Healthy Ways with this act of care. Because caring for your ciliary muscle isn’t just about avoiding eye strain—it’s about maintaining a connection between your physical and emotional health. Just as a tense muscle in your back can affect how you feel overall, a tight ciliary muscle creates stress that spills over into your mental and emotional state.

When you take the time to relax your eyes, you’re giving your brain and body a chance to rest, recover, and reset. You are telling your nervous system it can relax. It’s a small but powerful way to reduce stress, improve focus, and even enhance your mood—especially during busy times like the holidays. And it's something you can mindfully do daily now!

Did You Know?

Eye health professionals recommend the 20-20-20 rule for reducing strain. Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It’s like a micro-break for your ciliary muscle, helping it reset. While 20 seconds is helpful, longer periods of distance focusing—like the 15 minute full reset we break down below—give an even deeper reset.

BONUS: Do a Full Reset

1. Step Outside (or Look Through a Window):
   Find a view of the horizon or a distant object. Spend 15 minutes looking far away. Let your eyes relax. Yes, that will seem like an eternity! But it is what helps the ciliary muscle finally lengthen for you. If you can't reach 15 minutes, start with going as long as you can and simply increase it every time you do this exercise. 

2. Switch Your Focus Once:
   After your 15 minutes (or as long as you can currently go), look at something close (like a book or a cozy holiday decoration or your watch). Then, return to gazing far away for another 5 minutes. You're cementing in that ability to switch between the two fields of vision (near and far).

3. Notice the Change:
   You may feel your eyes soften, your breathing slow, and even a sense of calm in your body. You’re not just caring for your eyes—you’re giving your body, mind, heart, and soul space to rest. It's worth sticking with this to bring balance back to your eyes.

The Bigger Picture at Christmas

Just like your ciliary muscle needs to relax by focusing on what’s far away, so does your soul. The holidays are about more than what's nearby—they’re about seeing something much bigger.

This is especially true at Christmas, when the farthest things we can see—the stars—hold a powerful reminder of the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to the newborn King. Take a few moments this season to step outside and look up at the stars. By looking up at the stars, we’re reminded of the ultimate gift we’re celebrating: that a Savior was born, bringing light and hope to a weary world.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

When we look up, we’re reminded of this truth: no matter how busy, overwhelming, or dark life feels in the immediate moment (near vision), the light of Christ is always there to guide us when we look to him (far vision). Just as the Wise Men followed the star to the Savior, we can follow that same light today. What a joyous thought!

This Christmas, take time to look beyond what’s near, beyond what’s temporary, and focus on what’s eternal. As you gaze out into the horizon, hold onto the incredible truth that Christmas brings: a Savior is born for you, and His light will never fade.

This Christmas, you can take moments to zoom out—both literally and spiritually—and remember what truly matters.

A Gift for Your Eyes and Your Soul

To recap, recent studies confirm that regular breaks to focus on distant objects can reduce digital eye strain, prevent myopia progression, and relax overworked eye muscles. But the benefits go beyond science. Taking these moments gives us time to pause, reset, and reframe what truly matters in our everyday.

So today, give this simple practice a try—and encourage your kids, family, or coworkers to join you. It’s a small act of care that can refresh your eyes and your spirit—and refocus you on the bigger picture of what we’re celebrating.

Wishing you a season of peace and renewed perspective, which will let you celebrate old traditions, new healthy ways! 

Heather & Jennifer

P.S. - Questions?! Something to share? Add a comment to this post!