When it comes to the busy Christmas season, we can often get very stressed, over anxious and worn out. These are ten of my top tips to help you manage better when it comes to this busy time of the year.
Hydration ~ It can be really easy to forget to stay hydrated, especially when we are busy running around doing jobs. Our bodies are made up of a large percentage of water, and our cells need water to be able to function properly and effectively. When drinking alcohol, at Christmas parties and catch ups with friends and family, keep your body hydrated with a glass of water in between each drink. Keeping your body hydrated will also help with clearer thoughts and improved energy. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, experiment with flavours. Steer clear of the sugar filled cordials, and rather go for lemon wedges, lime wedges, mixed berries, mint or orange slices. Try to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day, more if you are exercising or sweating.
Probiotics ~ Most of us know that our gut health is fundamental to our overall health. We know about the gut, mood connection and how poor gut health negatively impacts our mental health and clarity. Serotonin, our feel good hormone is produced mostly in our digestive system. This hormone helps to keep our moods, our feeling of well being and our feelings of happiness stable and it also helps with sleep. Our gut health also affects our immune health, inflammation, our ability to absorb nutrients from the foods we eat and elimination of toxins from our body. There are probiotic supplements you can take. I would suggest you work with a Naturopath to get the particular strain of probiotics that is best for you. The best food sources of probiotics is from fermented foods such as kombucha, sauerkraut, milk kefir, water kefir, yoghurt and fermented vegetables such as carrots.
Magnesium ~ This is such an important mineral and is used by our body for so many processes. It helps with normal nerve and muscle function. It supports a healthy immune system. It helps with the production of energy. It is also great for blood pressure issues, muscle twitches, insulin resistance, muscle cramps and anxiety. Magnesium is depleted by stress, so when we are busy it is especially important to replenish it. We can supplement with powders, tablets, celloids or tissue salts. We can have Epsom salt baths with 1-3 cups of Epsom salt in. Or we can increase our magnesium intake with the foods we eat such as cherries, spinach, broccoli, kale, avocado, figs, nuts and seeds.
Stress ~ Keep stress levels under control. Many people report that their stress seems to increase at this time of the year. We seem to be rushing around, even more than usual, with so much to organise. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed. I suggest you find some things you find relaxing. That could be reading a book, gardening, cooking, having a bath, going out in nature, kicking a ball in the backyard with your children, going to the park, going to the beach. Anything that helps you feel relaxed. You could practice journalling, meditation, prayer, breathing exercises to help. Implement these things daily to help keep your stress levels from increasing.
Vitamins ~ B vitamins are important for our nervous system function, good mental health, attention, energy, cognition, anxiety, mood and stress. Again, you can have supplements to help boost your B vitamin levels, or you could eat a wide range of colourful wholefoods. This includes green leafy vegetables, eggs, avocado, meat such as lamb, beef, turkey, tuna and salmon, nuts such as almonds and seeds such as sunflower. This will help to keep your stress levels minimal and will help support your nervous system.
Lists ~ I find it really helpful to write lists. It gets all the things you are trying to remember to do out of your head and onto paper. Try to then keep up with your to do list. Even on days when you feel really unmotivated, try to tick at least one thing off each day. That way you feel a sense of achievement, your list will get smaller, and you won’t end up with a huge list of things to do in only a few days. Just choose one thing off of your list. It could be to clean one room, or to clean one area. It could be to wrap some presents. It could be to make some honey biscuits. It could be to write your shopping list. Then once you have achieved that thing, then give yourself permission to relax and do something you enjoy. Avoid overwhelm and panic by not leaving everything to the last minute.
No ~ Give yourself permission to say no! You don’t have to do it all. If there are people or places or events that increase your anxiety and stress, you don’t have to go there. If your schedule is already booked up and you are feeling overwhelmed, then saying yes to more activities is only going to lead to you feeling even more overwhelmed. Remember that you can politely decline if you are feeling that way. You really don’t have to say yes all the time. Say no if that is what works best for you.
Organisation ~ Be organised and know where things are when you need them. If you are anything like me, you might have been known to put things in a ‘safe place’ so that you can easily find them, only to realise that you can’t remember where that safe place actually is! Put things such as wrapping paper, scissors and sticky tape together where you know where it is so that you can easily grab it out when you want to get those presents wrapped.
Eating ~ Allow yourself to relax your diet. If you want to, give yourself permission to treat yourself. Eat good food and enjoy some drinks with good company if that is what you want to do. You can get back into your better eating habits again, but if you go off track for a few meals, don’t beat yourself up about it. Rather, allow yourself to enjoy a treat, and have fun with those you love. Try not to feel guilty about it, and enjoy.
Enjoy ~ Christmas is such a special time. Allow yourself to enjoy this special time with your family and loved ones. Enjoy the special moments together. Enjoy the special times with your children and family.
Sending you much love at Christmas time. If you need any extra support through the busyness, then please reach out. I would love to help support you.