7 Top Tips in your Toolbag for Surviving Chrismas
It’s the run up to Christmas – how are you feeling? Are your presents wrapped, do you have the food shopping covered? Written a shopping list? Still working? Not doing Christmas anyway?
Christmas means so many different things on many different levels for people – you may have family, no family, lost family. You may be surrounded by friends or on your own. You may be at home, at someone else’s, or not have a home. You may not celebrate Christmas at all.
However your Christmas is starting to look, if you find your self underneath a cloud of angst and stress from the demands, expectations and relationships that you’re about to navigate, take a quick look at this guide designed to help ease the pressure.
1 KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE
Christmas is one day, a glorified Sunday roast. Do not allow yourself to get swept up in the over-commercialisation of Christmas.
2 PLAN WHAT YOU CAN AHEAD OF TIME
What can you do now? What needs doing just before – such as food shopping? Write 2 lists and tackle the first as far ahead of time as you can manage.
3 SELF CARE
Our self care goes out of the window at this time of year – it’s cold you want a lie in rather than that run, there’s tonnes of delicious sugary treats around and of course the booze. Think ahead – what are the crucial things you absolutely need in order to keep your sense of wellbeing from reaching rock bottom? Is it sleep? Is it keeping hydrated? Is it fresh air and a 20 minute walk? Find your non-negotiable self care need and stick to it!
4 FIND YOUR TRIGGERS
Give yourself a moment to think ahead and bring to mind the things that are going to set off your triggers – the granny that drinks one glass too many and says things she wouldn’t, the conversation about the XYZ, the kids going to bed too late and reaching meltdown when you have also got to tipping point yourself. What is going to set you off – and more to the point what are you going to put in place to avoid it or deal with it? EG. Kids bedtimes cut off. Removing yourself from the room when the XYZ conversation starts… Prepare ahead and have a plan!
5 BREATHE
When relationships get fraught and the frenzy of Christmas gets too much:
STOP what you are doing, create a gap between you and what’s going on around you
BREATHE – take 3 big slow deep breaths in and longer breaths out
LEAVE – if the circumstance is too much gently remove yourself with – just going to take the dog for a. walk / get some fresh air / pop to the toilet.
This is a survival tactic I have developed over the years and believe me it works a treat to retain your sanity.
6 MAKE IT WHAT YOU WANT THIS YEAR
You don’t HAVE to fall into anyone else’s expectations about what you should be doing. We are so forcibly influenced by families, parents, spouses, kids, media and cultural ideologies all around us. So if you feel that the meaning of Christmas is lost or values clash or are all over the place, sit down for a minute and bring to mind 3 things that you would like Christmas to be and 3 things you would like to discard, and start to shape the festivities into something you will get enjoyment from.
7 CARRY THAT FORWARD
Now that you have started to create the Christmas you want – take it a step further and create with your family a Christmas manifesto – what is important at Christmas? What values do you hold close? What things and ideas do you disagree with? What traditions would you like to create as a family? What memories would you like to look back on
Christmas is about the winter time, religious celebration, festivities, celebrating the light returning after the shortest day, and also about sharing, connection and kindness - there are so many ways to share kindness.. and we know that little acts amount bigger collective waves, so never underestimate your own ability to make someone else's day brighter :)
What are your go-to tools for sanity at Christmas time?
Send me a message and let me know!
