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On the JJ Barnes Blog, I look at advice from wellness expert Chloe Brotheridge and RESCUE® Remedy for how to have a stress free Christmas season.
Christmas Stress
Christmas is undoubtedly a busy time for many of us, and if you’ve got family and friends scattered around the place like I do, you might find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed. There’s more things to do than you can shake a candy cane at, between the nights out, the visits to family and the added expense of gifts and Christmas party socialising, not to mention more alcohol (and inevitable hangovers!!) added into the mix.
If you’re a bit of a perfectionist you might agonise over buying the perfect gift, cooking a perfecr Christmas lunch, or getting everything just right on the day for your kids. Or maybe being out of your normal day-to-day routine stresses you out, especially if it means you have less time for yourself or are getting less sleep.
So, how can we make the countdown to Christmas festive, happier and less stressful?
RESCUE®, the UK’s number one emotional wellbeing brand*, partnered with hypnotherapist, coach and author of ‘The Anxiety Solution’, Chloe Brotheridge, to come up with six practical strategies for how to help ease some of that Christmas Stress.
What would ‘good enough’ look like?
If you’re a bit of a perfectionist, remember that perfectionism isn’t actually about never feeling that things are good enough. It’s not the pursuit of what’s good, but instead the pursuit of what’s bad.
You can’t win, and it’s a sure way to burn out and never feel satisfied. If this is the case for you, ask yourself what ‘good enough’ would look like. What is a good enough gift, outfit or dinner? Then remind yourself that good enough is always enough.
Rethink your triggers
The Christmas period can be a minefield for things that can trigger painful emotions in ourselves and those around us. Whether it’s colleague who asks you ‘why you’re still single’ at the Christmas party, or a parent who treats you like you’re still 15, or your partner getting drunkand being argumentative, Christmas can be rife with potential stresses.
An effective way to navigate these difficulties is to think beforehand about what things may come up and then mentally rehearse how you’d like to respond instead. That might look like coming up with the ideal pithy reply, deciding to take the high ground and stay in your integrity or choosing to walk away and take some deep breaths. Making a plan for how you’ll respond will help you to manage these difficult moments more easily.
Try the ‘Physiological Sigh’
If you’re getting overwhelmed and frazzled from braving the shops on Christmas eve, being up until midnight wrapping presents, or burning the potatoes and setting off the smoke alarm, it might be time to try this breathing method to quickly promote feelings of calmness. Dr Andrew Huberman from Stanford University created the ‘physiological sigh’.
Take a deep breath in through your nose followed by another smaller, quicker breath through the nose. After both in-breaths, exhale slowly out through the mouth. Do this one to three times to calm your nervous system quickly.
Ask for help
Many people, myself including, find it very hard to ask for, or even accept, help. But we should, because Christmas is not just our responsibility, and other people love us and want to make our lives better. So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, try thinking about some specific ways that others could help out.
Make the decision beforehand that if someone offers you help, you’ll say yes, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Write a list of tasks that could be taken off your plate, such as bringing a dessert to Christmas dinner, helping you to wrap the kids presents or taking the dog for a walk.
There are no prizes for doing everything yourself and many people want to help out and feel useful – don’t deny them the joy of helping!
Switch off and unplug
With everything extra that Christmas brings, it can be helpful to remove some of the mental noise from our lives, and a lot of that noise comes from phone apps beeping, emails filling our inboxes, or phones ringing constantly. Whatever it looks like for you, find a way to unplug and switch off. That might mean deleting the social media apps from your phone, steering clear of the news for a few days, making sure your out-of-office is firmly on, or deciding to put your phone in airplane mode after 7pm in the evening.
Stick with some routine
Our routine can be like an anchor that helps us to feel secure and safe, so the Christmas holidays can be very challenging and make us feel disrupted.
If this is something you struggle with, try and maintain some level of normalcy in terms of your routine. Whether that means going on a couple of runs or keeping up with your daily 10-minute meditations, sitting down to drink a calming tea before bed; staying consistent with certain aspects of your routine will help you to take care of yourself and make it easier to get back into the swing of things once Christmas is over.
Chloe Brotheridge
Chloe Brotheridge is hypnotherapist, mentor and coach at www.calmer-you.com and the host of The Calmer You Podcast. She’s the author of The Anxiety Solution and The Confidence Solution.
RESCUE® Remedy
Maintain your inner control and keep on top of your days with RESCUE® Remedy by your side. It is a combination of five specially blended Bach™ Original Flower Essences and can be used anytime, anywhere and is suitable for all the family.
The RESCUE® products are available from Boots, Holland & Barrett, Sainsburys, Superdrug, Waitrose, independent pharmacies nationwide and online at www.amazon.co.uk.
Products in the RESCUE® range are:
RESCUE® Dream Balm – £22.99
RESCUE® Peaceful Night Capsules – £14.99
RESCUE® Peaceful Night Duo – £19.99
RESCUE® Balance & Positivity Capsules – £19.99
RESCUE® Fresh & Focus Capsules – £14.99
RESCUE REMEDY® 10ml Dropper – £8.49
RESCUE REMEDY® 20ml Dropper – £10.99
RESCUE REMEDY® 7ml Spray – £7.99
RESCUE REMEDY® 20ml Spray – £11.49
RESCUE® Liquid Melts – £9.20
RESCUE® Night 10ml Dropper – £8.49
RESCUE® Night 20ml Dropper – £10.99
RESCUE® Night 20ml Spray – £10.99
RESCUE® Night Liquid Melts – £9.20
RESCUE® Cream 50g – £8.75
RESCUE® Pastilles – £6.45 (available in Blackcurrant and Orange & Elderflower flavours)
RESCUE PLUS® 20ml Dropper – £12.49
RESCUE PLUS® Lozenge Orange & Elderflower – £3.99
Food supplements should not replace a balanced diet & a healthy lifestyle.
RESCUE, RESCUE REMEDY and the Bach signature are registered trademarks of Bach Flower Remedies Limited.
Nelsons
Nelsons is the UK’s leading manufacturer of natural healthcare products, with a long-standing commitment to supplying the highest quality natural healthcare products that meet all regulatory and quality standards. Their brands are recognised and sold all over the world and include RESCUE REMEDY®, Bach™ Original Flower Remedies, Nelsons arnicare®, Nelsons Teetha®, Nelsons® Homeopathy and SPATONE®.
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