Avoiding Christmas Stress.
Christmas and the weeks leading up to it are extremely busy for most people, often causing Christmas stress. You are encouraged to eat lots of rich food, drink lots of alcohol and attend lots of late night social events. All when nature is hibernating, and you should be too!
Here are my top tips for a healthier Christmas period:
1. Make self-care non-negotiable.
If you had a haircut, car MOT or other important appointment, you wouldn’t cancel it on a whim. Unless it was a real emergency! So why does self-care or filling up your own cup often get pushed to the bottom of the list or worse totally cancelled? This can play a big part in Christmas stress. So, block out time to take care of yourself. This can look different for everyone. Even 10mins of mindfulness, meditation, quiet time can make a huge difference.
2. Slow down and delay plans.
Nature is resting and hibernating. Yet you are out socializing and partying. Keeping some nights ‘free’ so you can rest or catch up with things can really ease Christmas stress. You often promise friends and family catch up over the Christmas period. Why not make delay those plans until January? It will give you something to look forward to as well as taking the pressure off the Christmas period. You can keep your promises and have a healthier Christmas.
3. Heartburn and hangovers.
You may be eating out more in restaurants during the festive period as well as eating more rich food and alcohol at home. Knowing what causes your heartburn can help. If you suffer with heartburn on a regular basis then this does need to be investigated. The homeopathic heartburn remedy, Nux vom is brilliant here. It also works on hangovers! Alcohol does put a strain on your liver which is also working hard to remove all toxins from your body including excess hormones. This can be relevant if you are suffering menopausal symptoms. You may be using the alcohol to try and manage some Christmas stress. Hopefully you can see that there are other ways to manage your stress. Email me to purchase Nux Vom as a hangover cure for yourself or others!
4. Give the gift of time.
Even though all the advertisers and retailers are trying very hard to get you to spend your hard earned money on the latest gadget or perfume, I’m suggesting that you give your time to your loved ones. Purchasing the perfect Christmas gift can cause you even more Christmas stress! You can offer to cook them a meal, mow their lawn or just beat them at chess! Time is the perfect size for everyone and is the most precious thing as you can’t get more of it. Make memories which will last longer than the toy that breaks on boxing day or the perfume they hate. Purchasing experiences for people is also more eco-friendly. Giving them a spa day or helicopter ride has a lasting impact on people.
5. Plan to protect your mental health.
Spending time with certain family members or friends can be stressful at this time of year. What are YOUR priorities for Christmas day? How can you avoid the awkward or insensitive comments? Could you have a prepared answer in your back pocket to use on Great Aunt Flo? Are you able to shrug it off and ignore it? Is there another way of easing that Christmas stress? Could you call them before and have an honest chat? The rose-tinted happy families shown on the adverts are not real life. Make sure you enjoy the festive period by making your own traditions or breaking some old unhealthy ones.
Homeopathy can help hugely with heartburn, mental health and many other issues during the festive season. Get in touch if you would like my help.
