It is the most wonderful time of the year… or is it? For many people Christmas comes with stress, unmet expectations, tricky family dynamics and dramas. Here are some tips to help make your Christmas a little less stressed.
Tip 1. Be prepared – Forget about last minute Christmas shopping. Leaving things to the last minute leads to high stress levels. Planning ahead takes a lot of stress out of your Christmas.
Tip 2. Take 5 win 50 – Take regular breaks in which you don’t do anything, just for a moment. Stop to enjoy a cup of tea, the sunlight and the breeze on your skin. These moments of doing nothing ‘useful’ are super useful because they reduce stress, making you more effective and efficient when you get back to doing what you need to get done.
Tip 3. Stop multitasking – Do one thing at a time and finish it before you move on to the next thing. You will be more effective and safe time, which gives you more time to relax and enjoy your Christmas.
Tip 4. Mindfulness – When your system goes into overwhelm, notice it and simply say ‘Hello’ to it, then take a few deep breaths. This calms down your system and helps prevent Christmas outbursts and meltdowns. You can use our favourite guided mindfulness technique, click here to listen to it.
Tip 5. Remember Christmas does not have to be perfect for it to be wonderful.
Merry Christmas everyone
From the Renew Your Mind team