Top tips for staying cool, calm & collected during the Christmas Chaos
With the silly season upon us, I thought I’d take some time to share with you some of my top tips to help you stay cool, calm and collected over the Christmas break…
GIVE YOURSELF A PRESENT
When we think of Christmas, most of us instantly think of spending time with and giving all our loved ones presents. Which is certainly lovely and needed but there’s one very special person we often forget to spend time with and give a present to… ourselves. The one person who probably needs it the most. So my first tip is to make sure you carve out some time for yourself this Christmas. Treat yourself to a massage or time at the day spa. A little solitude can do so much for the soul.
GET CREATIVE
Doing something creative is a wonderful way of bringing yourself into the present moment and when we are absorbed in the here and now, we naturally feel calm and composed. The reason being is because our minds are connected to the task at hand and not wandering around with our thoughts. Some ideas over this Christmas could be to bust out some paints or colouring pencils and have some fun, take a cooking or pottery class, write a song or start a veggie patch.
HACK YOUR MOOD
Sitting in traffic for hours, waiting for a table to become available at a busy restaurant, kids, nieces & nephews doing loops around you… sound familiar? No doubt there’s going to be moments over the coming weeks that are going to be a little frustrating/stressful. But rather than letting these moments get to you, try and flip them around into a positive. For example, take advantage of the extra time spent in traffic catching up on your favourite podcasts. Do a mindfulness exercise while waiting for a table and why not jump in and join whatever game the kids are playing. Sometimes, what starts off as something annoying can actually turn into something that is fun and enjoyable.
GIVE MEDITATION A GO
Of course I was going to recommend this. We all know that meditation can help keep us calm & relaxed but if this is the case, why don’t more of us do it? Or at least stick with it? The big reason is that most of us see meditation as a prescription, not as a pleasure. Therefore, we only really use it when we feel we need it. But meditation is so much more than just something we can turn to when things are stressful. I like to see meditation as my favourite meal. Something I look forward to. Can’t wait to do. Just for the simple fact that it makes me feel good.
Approaching meditation in this manner will not only help you enjoy it more but will actually make it more effective too.
I hope you’ve found these tips interesting and they help you have an even more enjoyable Christmas this year.
Keep an eye on your inbox in the new year too as we have some very exciting news coming soon!!
Big love! 💛
Luke
soulalive.com.au