5 Ways to Keep Calm Amidst Christmas Chaos

The holidays are officially upon us and despite the magic in the air, tis’ also the season for endless to-do lists, crazy hangovers and stress. With so much on our plates (literally and figuratively) it can be hard maintain balance amidst the Christmas chaos.

For the sake of our sanity, this year let’s try and cut the crazy out of Christmas.

Here are a few simple strategies to get you through the festive season feeling calm, collected and stress free.

1. Meditate and set a daily intention

This doesn’t mean you have to sit cross legged for hours on end chanting in Sanskrit. When it comes to meditation, a little each day can make a big difference. Try waking up just a few minutes earlier to spend 5 minutes focusing on your breath and visualising what you want your day to look like. This will get you off to a calm start, as well as helping you to stay focused throughout your day.

2. Ground yourself with gratitude

Sometimes it’s easy to forget all that we have to be grateful for and get caught up in wanting what we don’t have. Each day write a list of 5 things you are grateful for— this will help put things in perspective if things don’t go to plan.

3. Learn to say no (and mean it)

There are only 24 hours in a day— no more, no less and this isn’t likely to change (no matter how much we need or want it to). You can’t do everything, and learning to set those limits is essential to not going crazy— also, it will allow you to enjoy the things you say yes to so much more.

4. Stretch out, don’t stress out

In other words, practice Yoga. It’s a great way to manage stress and get in touch with your body. The coordination of movement with the breath really helps with staying present in the moment and not getting overwhelmed by that ever expanding to-do list.

5. Practice self care

In the season of giving it’s easy to be so focused on making sure everyone else’s needs are met, that we forget our own. Take time out for yourself— whether it’s to hit the gym or take a bubble bath. Make sure to listen to your body and mind and treat yourself as well as you treat the people in your life.