Top 10 Tips For A Calm Christmas!
Top 10 Tips For A Calm Christmas!
Christmas can evoke many emotions. The common opinion from polls is that women like Christmas more than men; but we can assume that children like it the most. This isn’t just because of the magic of Santa Claus and gift-giving, but it is clearly recognised as a time that the whole family are together. This quality time is also what most adults value about this time of year. The person who is at the helm, facilitating all of these activities, is primarily thinking of the enjoyment of others. Sometimes, prioritising one's own happiness gets lost at this time of year. This can also cause feelings of uneasiness, anxiety, and stress to rise. If you were to ask those who are involved in enjoying these things that are put together at this time of year, they would hate to find out that the person looking after everything was feeling this way. Communication with those around us is, of course, one of the best ways to reduce stress at this time of year, but if you're looking for some other ideas of how to keep things calm at Christmas, here are some of our top suggestions!
Most Christmas music evokes a sense of joy (for most!). We can't help ourselves from being happy when we hear sleigh bells and joyous lyrics. There are also lots of other types of music and sounds that can bring a sense of calm instead of excitement if Christmas music isn't your thing or you've heard too much of it already! We can use music to change the atmosphere of where we are if we're in a place of stress.
2. Making time and space to prioritise ourselves
One thing that we think is the most important, is ensuring that we prioritise moments for ourselves. We spend most of this time at Christmas thinking of others and making sure they're having the best time. However, we cannot offer our best for them if we are not feeling the best ourselves.
3. Breathing Exercises
One of our favourite tools are breathing exercises. These do not require us to have anything other than ourselves to complete. In a moment of heightened emotion, we can use these exercises to regain composure and feel grounded. Similar to prioritising ourselves, taking these moments to use these exercises to calm ourselves will make us feel confident in being able to move forward and enjoy the Christmas we have created for our families.
You might like to read more about this here: Breathwork: Why we need to teach ourselves how to breathe again
4. Gratitude moments
Whether in the morning, in the evening or during the day, taking a moment to think about what we're grateful for can dramatically change the way that we feel in a moment. Gratitude moments will often force us into changing our perspective of what's actually happening in front of us. This paradigm shift can have a massive impact. We go from feeling frustrated or upset about something to, reminding ourselves that we are fortunate for the position we are in. This then allows us to take a different approach to deal with the scenario that might be feet making us feel uneasy.
5. Use scents for Awareness
We love using scents for both small and big personal well-being shifts. If we're in a crowded space that is making us feel anxious or concerned, we can use scent attached to us on the wrists or on our clothing to re-centre and bring us back to reality making us feel calm. Sleepy Head balm is a great one for this.
When we have previously built a connection with a specific scent it is an amazing tool for bringing awareness to move out of the feelings of uneasiness. If we remain in our own homes over the Christmas period and have people in our homes, we can also use scent to create a special space within a room that people won't be entering so that we can retreat to this if we need to for grounding.
Our favourite grounding scent is the Restore Room Spray or essential oil blend to be used in our Scent Stone diffuser. It's woody and fresh and perfect for keeping balanced and can be used day or night.
6. Creative outlets
Internalising our upset can mean that it lasts longer than it needs to. Seeking outlets that allow us to remove the feelings from inside us and put them somewhere else, Is a strategy that most of us forget. There are always Christmas crafts at this time of year, choosing to do something creative can be a great way to give our minds a break. This can also give us relief whilst still being involved with other family members.
7. Get outdoors
Sometimes removing yourself from a situation is a great way to reset and come back in a different place. Another great choice is to get outside. Fresh air, natural sounds and a feeling of freedom is a great way to bring calmness.
You might like to read: The benefits of walking on your mind and body
8. Opt for guided meditations
We all know the benefits of meditation, however, in times of need where there's a lot going on, sometimes guided meditation can help direct us in a way that takes the pressure off of us using this practice. If it feels overwhelming in a stressful situation to sit down and meditate, using guided meditation allows you to use this tool and gain its benefits without hardship.
If this is of interest, check out us Introducing our natural meditation cushion for more on how to use this practice as a tool.
9. Invite someone else to be involved
No one wants to be stressed around Christmas. Those who you choose to invite into your home care about you deeply; that's why you invited them. Let them know how you feel. Let them know what you need. You're not on your own and you deserve to enjoy Christmas as much as anyone else.
10. Remember to have fun!
There is so much unnecessary pressure and most of it we actually put on ourselves. Sometimes things don't always to plan and that's ok! So this year remember to have fun, laugh, don't take things too seriously, don't stress - it is what it is!
We hope we provided you with some tangible ideas on how you can use exercises that you've learned over the year to remain calm and bring happiness into this holiday period. Christmas is a time for joy. It's also a great time to reflect on how far you've come in your personal well-being journey. Start your 2023 with joy and gratitude!
