5 TIPS TO CREATING CALM IN THE SILLY SEASON

Christmas is just a few weeks away and everything is ramping up, the weather, the crowds, and stress levels!! So here are five ways to help you navigate this time calmly and joyfully:

1. Take time out for yourself regularly – grab a cup of tea or cool smoothie outside and allow yourself 10 minutes to sit and enjoy your drink. Believe it or not 5-10 minutes to take stock and relax actually makes you more productive. It gives you time to slow down, organise your thoughts and focus on what needs to be done.
   
   
2. Prioritise – At the beginning of your day prioritise your essentials, this helps you to feel productive when you achieve them and also reduces your stress levels as you are in control of getting things done.
   
   
3. Delegate – we are not super human, create a list of what needs to be done and start to delegate. Not only does this take the pressure off you, it also empowers someone else to help out and contribute to your family. It’s easy to feel guilty about asking for help, however this is what being part of a community is about. Caring for and helping one another.
   
   
4. Exercise – this is really vital to keeping your stress levels at bay- exercise helps to release the feel good hormones and reduces the hormones that contribute to stress. If you can, exercise with a friend and enjoy yourself, time spent socializing is so beneficial to our mental health.
   
   
5. Get enough rest – Sleep is so important, so as much as possible get your 8 hours per night. Sleep helps our body to repair and restore and prepares us to face whatever the day brings.

Remember what this time of year is about- it’s about each other, supporting each other and caring for one another. It’s not about things, things don’t nourish us- they can make us feel happy, but, only temporarily.

Also remember that everyone is trying to do their best- take a step back and remember that no-one is perfect, we all struggle at times and we are all doing our best with what we’ve got!