All is calm and bright!!-  Ditch the stress and sparkle this Christmas!

There is no escaping it! Christmas is coming and for many, this is a wonderful time of the year filled with excitement and joy; however, this can also be a time of stress, anxiety, loneliness, overworking, overeating and overspending.

We are bombarded with adverts, tv shows and social media feeds of what a perfect Christmas should look like. It is easy to convince yourself that everyone else is living in a bubble of festive contentment. We can set our standards so high that we line ourselves up for a time of disappointment and disaster!

There are endless to-do lists, gifts to buy, meals to plan and cook, guests to entertain, and the inevitable risk of family quarrels.

It is no wonder we find ourselves emotionally overwhelmed, financially drained and physically exhausted.

Here are 10 ways to try and make this Christmas happier and healthier:

1. Stop comparing!

It is easy to see Instagram photos and Facebook stories and imagine everyone else is having the perfect Christmas! Remind yourself, people only post their best times and biggest successes!

In reality, most people are just trying to keep their heads above water and do the best they can in their own situation.

The people you are comparing yourself to may actually be battling illness or grieving a lost loved one, their finances may be extremely tight, they may be battling with challenging relatives or may be trapped in unhealthy relationships; we never truly know other people’s reality or struggles.

Try not to compare; instead focus on relaxation and fun with the people who truly matter to you.

2. Don’t overcommit or you will burn out!

There will be lots of invitations to work-parties, school concerts, drinks with friends and family gatherings; try to remember to pace yourself!  However much fun you will have dressing up and going out, in reality, when the dark evenings arrive and your home is decorated and cosy, you will truly treasure some quiet nights at home recharging your batteries watching Christmas movies and relaxing with family or reading a good book. Don’t undervalue this precious time down-time in your busy schedule!

3. Breathe deeply

When you feel a wave of tension start to rise, take a moment out for yourself, step away from the drama into the bathroom or garden, close your eyes and focus on calming deep breathing to centre yourself.

Inhale deeply to regain perspective, clarity and to feel energised.

Exhale slowly to release the tension and wave goodbye to negativity. Repeat until cool, calm and collected!

4. Get outside

When things start feel overwhelming or when family tensions start to rise, step outside and take a short walk. Get some fresh air, breathe deeply and distance yourself from any unfolding dramas. Regain your composure,  brush off any negative comments and rebalance your emotions before you return back to a house full of noise, stress and demands!! Keep a perspective; Christmas only lasts few days at most; you can hold it together for just a short while longer!

5. Don’t feel trapped in traditions!

If you decide to skip the expense of paper crackers with dinner, no one will truly care that much!

If you cut some corners in the kitchen , for instance skipping starters or buying rather than home-making a few side dishes,  you then free-up time which can be better spent relaxing with the ones you love. Minimise the multiple-course, formal meals and you will reduce the expenses, the workload and allow yourself  to participate much more in the fun! Give yourself grace! This year think of a few little steps you can take to ease the pressure you put upon yourself!

6. Prioritise your sleep, or your health will fail you.

If you are chronically overtired, you will be more irritable and short-tempered, less focused, and you are much more vulnerable to low mood, anxiety and depression. You will also lower your immune-system, making yourself much more vulnerable to colds and flu.

You may feel more productive at night, but regularly sacrificing sleep to finish tasks will eventually catch up with you, so have a cut-off bedtime and stick to it.

If you find yourself unable to sleep due to worries, try writing down your concerns on a notebook beside the bed, clear your head-space then try to switch off through deep breathing or reading or with a sleep-inducing chamomile tea.

7. Don’t forget the value of ‘Me-time’

With the pressures of endless to-do lists and so much to organise within a limited time-schedule, the valuable tools we use to reduce our stress levels usually day-to-day can become pushed out of the schedule. However, this is when we need more than ever to take little windows of time in the day to break away from the tasks and give yourself permission to briefly switch off; for instance after an hour spent hunched over wrapping gifts get up, stretch out, take a walk, or take a yoga class, or make a hot drink, run a soothing bath and enjoy a few chapters of a good book, all gulit-free!! Remember, if you burn out Christmas will be spoilt for everyone relying on you; so self-care has never been more important! 

8. Remember the reason for the season

When times are tough it can be easy to focus on what we don’t have, rather than appreciating what we do have. Taking time for gratitude will reduces stress levels and help us to keep a sensible perspective of what we want Christmas to really mean.

Think of the many things outside of gifting that you are grateful for this year; it could be the relief after a major health scare, or it could be gratitude for your job after a wave of redundancies, or just the ability to heat your home or put food on the table.

Most importantly, look to the positive people in your life who have supported you over the last few challenging years. The Covid pandemic taught us the importance of having a few good friends who checked in on you, who cooked for you or shopped for you when you were ill, or who just kept your spirits up.

Rather than gifts, now may be the right time to put pen to paper and let them know how much you love and appreciate them.

9. Gift your time and be present

When you meet up with treasured friends and family over Christmas help them feel important by putting away your phone and truly engaging in what is happening in their lives and how they are feeling.

Think about gifting experiences and ‘together-times’ rather than desperate, last-minute gifts; maybe give mugs and nice coffee or hot chocolate treats to share and put in your new diary a regular coffee date together for the year ahead, or maybe give vouchers for a nail paint together, or a spa days, or tickets for the theatre or a garden show, or a plan a regular book club or yoga class together. Even an I-O-U for a picnic together or a shared beach day out together would be something fun to plan together.

Planning to make wondeful memories together in the New Year ahead will be a tremendous lift for anyone feeling lonely or low, and might be just the right way for you to reconnect with someone dear to you.

10. Remember lost loved ones

For many people, Christmas can be very hard as it may remind them of loved ones who are no longer present. So much of this season is based on our memories of Christmas’s passed, and if there is a central character no longer present, the gap in the family can be unbearable.

This is something you can’t avoid and it can be very difficult to handle your emotions when everyone else seems to be so happy.

Everyone finds their own way to cope, and this may be very different for different people.

If the empty place at the usual traditional table will be too much to bear, consider spending the day in a different way.

Maybe consider doing something to celebrate their memory with friends and family in a way that your loved one would have appreciated, like driving to the coast, or going for a walk together, or eating at a restaurant instead.

Maybe volunteering for a charity that would have been close to you loved one’s heart will help you feel you are doing something positive in their honour.

This may be an important time to reunite the family by remembering the happy times and sharing your most precious memories.

Remember, at Christmas, as always, there will be disappointments, challenges will crop up and things may not go to plan! But that is life, and if we try and prioritise our own wellbeing and minimise our stress as far as possible in the lead up to the festive period, we will be more resilient and better equipped to ‘roll with the challenges’ and to still find the magic in amongst the madness and make happy, treasured memories!

Have an enjoyable and memorable Christmas!
Much love from Nicki and Vijay at Optimal Health and Wellbeing xx