Keeping the Balance

We hear that “Christmas is the time to be jolly”, but many of us at this time of year end up being anything but “jolly”. There seems to be an endless amount of things that need to be done, presents to purchase, food to buy or order, extra work, traffic chaos, line-ups at the checkouts that never seem to end, wrapping presents, catch ups with friends before Christmas and the possibility of having to spend a day or six with that particular relative / friend can leave us cringing and lead us to feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

When we start to feel stressed out or overwhelmed, we aren’t able to function as well as we normally do.  This can make us feel exhausted, run down, not in control and generally frustrated and dissatisfied with everything and everyone around us.

These feelings often precipitate changes in the way we eat, drink, sleep, exercise and even communicate with family and friends.  Sleep gets cut short as we have Christmas parties and break ups to attend.  Exercise gets passed over in the morning when the alarm goes off in the hope of a few extra minutes of sleep.  Those extra nibblies and drinks that are around normally at Christmas time only look appealing and surely because we don’t eat them at other times of the year, they won’t make that much of a difference – right?

All of this might makes us feel better in the short term, however in the end you are going to feel worse emotionally. If you eat to comfort, are stressed, don’t get enough sleep or skip regular exercise, come January  you will probably have the extra weight around your middle to prove it.

Why not try a new approach this Christmas and come up with a different plan of attack to survive the “Silly Season”? Try these alternatives as a starter:

• Talk to your partner, a good friend or anyone who you can lend you their ear about what’s happening or let them know how they can help out.  A problem shared is a problem halved.
• Do we really need to catch up before Christmas or can this be organized for another time when there is not so much going on?
• Do some exercise – going for a 15 minute walk will get your mind off the stress.  Remember any time is better than no time.
• Write down all that you need to do on a calendar or daily planner – there might not be as much that needs to be done as you think. Get yourself organised with a good plan and include when you need these things done by and who is going to help out.
• Spend some me time – have a shower or take a relaxing bath, book in for a massage, water the garden, read a book or even just sit outside and get some sun.
• Focus your attention on all the positives at the end such as seeing your kids smile, sharing a laugh with friends – all the hard work will be worth it.