Stress Tips to Help you Survive Christmas!
Carole Spiers ?? Stress, Resilience and Wellbeing Public Speaker
Showing organisations how to improve their bottom line by reducing stress and improving mental health and wellbeing. | Founder International Stress Awareness Week. | Experienced Virtual Presenter.
With only a few days to go before Xmas, it can be a stressful time, for many different reasons. The shops are crowded, the weather is miserable even though the snow has finally gone!?[Gosh, I hated the ice!] We feel as though we’re constantly running just to keep up with the demands placed upon us.
Financial challenges will most certainly add to the stress of the festive season for many of us with the cost-of-living crisis. The pressure to meet the expectations of our family and create a special and memorable Christmas - all on a reduced budget, will be challenging to say the least, and that’s well before the credit card bills come in!
Then of course there’s the drain on our bodies created by the party season. This can become an ‘endurance test’, where one office party or social gathering follows another in an endless cycle of late nights and subsequent hangovers the next morning.
Let's think of others. Christmas time can be a little sad and often difficult not only for those who are single, lonely, sick or bereaved, but also for those who are ostensibly happy. Even if we have a partner we can be lonely or unhappy, and these feelings can become magnified at holiday times - putting pressure on already strained relationships.
With all these (often conflicting) pressures, it’s hardly surprising that worrying about Christmas can have an adverse effect on our health. Stress and anxiety are well known for their ability to depress our immune system, leaving us more susceptible to colds and other minor ailments. Add to this the change in diet resulting from eating too many rich or fatty foods, too much alcohol and too little exercise, and it’s easy to see why Christmas is a time when you really need to make that extra effort to look after yourself!
Top 12 festive stress-busters
1.???Plan the last few days before the festive season especially the shopping and cooking. The holiday should be fun – not a trial.
2.???Set yourself a budget and stick to it. Remember it’s the thought that counts not the cost or size of the gift.
3.???Make a list of gifts you still need to buy - you have still got time!
4.???Have a blitz on present wrapping – you still have four days to go!
5.???If you hate crowded shops and queuing, try shopping out of hours when stores are open late, or take advantage of the opportunities for internet shopping – hopefully you will still get a slot - I did!
6.???Make some time for yourself over the holiday.?Read a book you’ve been meaning to read, or buy a relaxation tape, switch off from the festive atmosphere and think about your personal wellbeing.
7.???At least once a day, think about all the good things in your life, instead of the ‘not so good’.?Hold that thought for the day and you may even catch yourself smiling!
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8.???Make time for other people. Visit an elderly relative or the person next door, track down a long-lost friend, or give up some time to help a charity or your local community. They will benefit – and so will you.
9.???If you’re feeling lonely, make a phone call to a friend or even someone you don’t know (such as the Samaritans who are on call 24 hours a day – (tel: 116 123). Value the time for reconnecting with your family and friends.
10. With the pressures of the materialistic society, remember that the best things in life are free. The smell and touch of frosted windows , the smoke from a log fire … a walk in the park as the light fails …
11. Don’t magnify your problems by thinking that everyone else is having a better time than you are. The chances are they are not!
12. Spread a little happiness around. Just a few kind words to a loved one or those two magic words “Thank you” could just make all the difference to someone else and help their stress melt away.
?Christmas is a time of remembrance and thanksgiving.?Be happy!
Carole Spiers is an international Motivational Speaker and C-suite Executive Consultant.
Book Carole as a Motivational Speaker now!??She?will deliver a charismatic, high-impact keynote presentation on how to reduce stress, build resilience and improve your mental health and wellbeing at your next conference.?
Do get in touch. We are here to listen.
Contact us:[email protected]?or call + 44 (0) 20 8954 1593. www.carolespiersgroup.co.uk
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