Christmas Stress Strategy Tips

Holidays mean change! Any change – good or bad – creates or causes, distress. The last week before your holiday is always a big blur trying to do and organise everything. You start to worry about leaving your home unattended over the holidays

People automatically decide by November (consciously or unconsciously) to shut down, but still feel the pressure of the deadlines that they still need to meet. Christmas holidays are expected to be idyllic. These expectations are rarely met and can, if we are not careful, leave us feeling empty and despondent.

Your healthy, balanced diet is already forgotten on the first day. To much sugar, fats, saturated food, alcohol, and fast foods can lead to vitamin-B complex and other nutritional shortages. A shortage of fiber can lead to constipation and the accumulation of toxins. This could lead to other digestive problems like bowel obstructions, indigestion, depression, irritability, bad short term memory, headaches, and can increase the feeling of fear for the New Year.

BYOB! (Bring Your Own Bag)

Take your own bag with you when you go shopping. Don’t load up on plastic bags that will end up in landfills. If you have to take a bag with your purchase, save it and use it again.

Stress less Holiday Tips

- Try to eat healthy on your holiday, lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fresh water and herbal teas (steep fresh grated ginger root, chamomile, rooibos, hibiscus flowers in boiling water, let it cool down, add honey or sweetener, mint leaves, fresh cherries or strawberries, lemon slices and lots of ice) to drink. Most people stop taking their supplements during the holidays. Remember to take supplements like vitamin-B complex (for the nervous system), antioxidants to neutralise the holiday damage, Gingko biloba (for concentration), valerian en chamomile tea (to help calm you down), milk thistle (for detoxification and to help the liver rejuvenate) and calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids (for everything else!).

- Eat a balanced diet and stick to your exercise program adapted to the holidays: try more yoga, swimming, dancing or walking.

- Give yourself some time for introspection and being alone, to enjoy and experience all that is happening in your day. Keep a dream diary next to your bed (over the holiday period and when you are back at work).

- Treat yourself to a lovely bath (choose aromatherapy oils such as lavender, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, chamomile and neroli) or deep tissue massage.

- Care for yourself with a good UV-protection moisturiser or tanning lotion applied to a smooth, well scrubbed body, deep facial cleanses and facial masks made of finely chopped cucumber, yogurt and lemon juice.

- Read, write, dream and release your imagination and intuition

- A short relaxation exercise to try to allow you to become calm inside, and turn your attention away from outside things, people and situations that upset you: * Sit quietly in a chair, feet on the floor, arms & hands relaxed * Tense the muscles in your feet. Then relax them. Do the same with your lower legs, then upper legs, then buttocks, tummy, chest, hands, neck, head & face * Take your attention to your breathing. Make it deep and slow. Count to 4 or 5 as you breathe in. Hold your breath for 2 to 3 counts. Then sigh your breath out while you count for 5, 6 or 7. Carry on doing this for 2 to 3 minutes * If your head becomes filled with thoughts, simply let the thoughts flow by like clouds in the sky, and keep on bringing your attention back to your breathing * After 2, 3 or even 5 to10 minutes, become aware of your body, slowly open your eyes and carry on with your day as usual, BUT you’ll feel more calm and relaxed than before you did the exercise. Try to do this in the morning & evening, and whenever you feel upset, tired or stressed

Alone time, especially in nature, give your some time out and a chance to focus on your soul centre and experience the here and now (the present moment) and to appreciate it. Take these moments to set your values, beliefs, goals and priorities and find out what is important to you.

If your family (including the children) starts to mistreat you, it is time to explain to them gently yet assertively what your view on the specific issue is. Start creating a chore schedule where everybody is responsible for certain duties/tasks (making coffee in the morning, washing the dishes etc.).

This will ensure a happy time of connecting with yourself, close and extended family, and friends.

Be realistic: use the holidays to be yourself. Enjoy everyday as it comes without expectations. Relax!

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Christmas Poems	Holiday Stress Tips

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