Christmas is a busy time of year.
There is all the busyness of the end of year. Schools are going on holidays. People are having parties. There are presents to buy. There is food to prepare. Many businesses close down so there is urgency to get things attended to. If you are closing down over Christmas you are under pressure to wrap things up for the break.
If you suffered trauma as a child, or find trauma you have suffered is exacerbated by family get togethers are Christmas, then the busyness has that added layer of stress on top of it.
How do you manage the stress of getting everything done and surviving either family get togethers or a time when you may in the past have had family get togethers?
If you subscribe to my newsletter, the December newsletter (out soon) has some ideas. If you would like to subscribe please click on the link here: http://eepurl.com/g8Jpiz
In the meantime, one of the most important things to do is to be able to find the “calm in the middle of the storm”. When you can stop the escalating stress and come back to a place of calm, it is much easier to cope with the stress of the season. Although any opportunity to get yourself into a calm place is helpful, returning to that place of calm a number of times before Christmas will help you to cope better than just a one off calming.
Here is what to do:
1.Stop.
Stop what you are doing. Sit down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths into your tummy.
Just breathe in and out slowly.
As you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all the stresses and tension in your body.
As you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in calm and peace.
After a few breaths in and out you may like to put your hands over your heart. As you continue breathing in and out, tell yourself it is okay. You are doing a wonderful job. Life is busy but you can rest for a few moments. It will all be okay. You may like to tell yourself how much you appreciate all your hard work. You may like to offer words of comfort and love to yourself. Don’t be worried about doing it, you need and you deserve it.
You may like to imagine you are sitting somewhere relaxing and peaceful.
Sit with this lovely vision as you pour support and comfort into your heart.
When you are ready, open your eyes and come back to the rest of your day.
2. Get some sleep.
No matter how busy you are, go to bed at a reasonable hour. If you are finding yourself staying up to finish off something and feeling stressed about it. Stop. Put what you are doing away and go to bed. It will still be there in the morning but you will feel a lot less stressed about it.
Pay attention to your emotions. Don’t push them aside in the busyness. Allow them to be and allow yourself the time to feel them.
Turn off the TV, computer and phone so that you can get a break from them, even for a short while.
Don’t rush your meals. Take the time to eat slowly and pay attention to what you are eating.
3.Rethink your Christmas.
If family get togethers cause you terrible stress and feel more like attending your own funeral than something enjoyable, maybe it is time to rethink what you are doing at Christmas. There is still time to make other plans. If you feel you can’t avoid the dreaded family get together then seek counselling now to prepare for this time, and continue the counselling after Christmas so you may be more prepared for next year.
If you would like to talk to me about how I can help you with anything I have raised in this blog, please contact me on 0409396608 or nan@plentifullifecounselling.com.au
If you would like to learn more, I write a regular newsletter with interesting information, tips, information on courses, and the occasional freebie. At the moment I have a free mindfulness meditation for anyone who signs up to my newsletter. This meditation offers a way to safely explore your feelings and learn to be okay with them. If you would like to subscribe please click on the link here: http://eepurl.com/g8Jpiz