Scary as it may seem it really is just around the corner… what are we talking about? The Christmas Season! In some shops its started weeks ago when the trees still had leaves! And for some, this is a wonderful time of year filled with fun, peace, joy, laughter, optimism, fellowship, family, friends, good food, giving, winter activities, cosy evenings, and fond memories.
However it also often a time for stress, anxiety, sadness, frustration, hurry, loneliness, disappointment, overworking, overeating, over drinking, and overspending.
Many people find the expectations of Christmas to be very stressful. There is extra shopping, cooking, cleaning, parties, travel, crowds, the onslaught of advertising telling us about everything we “should” have, expectations, positive and negative anticipation, the fear of failure, the pressure from our family and friends about what they “want,” interactions with people we may not always get along with, and the ingestion of sweets, treats, drinks, and extra calories… just to name a few.
This stress adversely affects the body in many ways. Persistent unrelieved stress can cause the body to become stress-response hyper stimulated and then symptomatic. Once the body becomes overly stressed, it can take a long time to recover. So, managing stress is an important ingredient to surviving the Christmas season and not having to enter into a protracted recovery after it is over.
Don’t hide in the chimney just yet! If you play your cards right, the holidays can actually relax you.
Firstly, you must make sure to use any time off to relax and take time out for yourself – you don’t have to fill every hour of every day with activities, family visits, outings etc. It is really important that in order to look after your own wellbeing, you need time to relax and unwind.
Secondly don’t always think that you have to do everything yourself. It is ok to delegate to others around you (even if they don’t do things exactly the way you would yourself)!
One thing to remember is that whilst it is a good idea not to stray too far from normal routines, it is absolutely fine to adapt them or make small changes. For example, your exercise over the season could be to enjoy a long wintery walk instead of going to the gym.
All easy to say but we hope our Top Tips might just save you a bit of sanity this year;
- Time off is time out,
- Make a list and ask for volunteers,
- Delegate from chopping the vegetables, to children handing out the presents and clearing up the wrapping paper afterwards,
- Stick to wellbeing routine as much as possible,
- Keep talking (muttering under your breath does not count!),
- Everything in moderation,
- Try a ‘Digital Detox’,
- Set yourself some ‘Me Time’.
All said, talking about all the worrying things you feel is extremely beneficial and a simple share, with a caring friend or relative, really makes a difference. Talking makes you feel supported and not alone.
