BOOK YOUR FREE  DISCOVERY CALL TODAY - CALL FLEUR ON      07704 429577

LoveMyMind Bath and Online Logo

Christmas tips to joy

Fleur Dash • 13 December 2023

Ah, Christmas! The season of joy, twinkling lights, and hearty laughter echoing through the chilly winter air. Or does the idea of Chrismas fill you with dread! This can be the most anxious time for so many of us!


Tips for surviving the Christmas period (Thanks to the Circle health group for putting it so well :)


1. Keep your expectations modest

Don't get hung up on what the Christmas holidays are supposed to be like and how you're supposed to feel.

If you're comparing your festivities to some perfect greeting card ideal, they'll always come up short. Don't worry about festive spirit and simply take every day as it comes.


2. Do something different

This year, does the prospect of the usual routine fill you with Christmas dread rather than joy?

If so, don't surrender to it. Try something different.

Have dinner at a restaurant on Christmas Day. Spend Boxing Day at the cinema or get your family to agree to donate the money to a charity instead of exchanging presents.


3. Lean on your support system

If you've been feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, you need a network of close friends and family to turn to when things get tough.

During Christmas, take time to get together with your support network regularly – or at least keep in touch by phone to keep yourself centred.


4. Don't assume the worst

Don't start the Christmas season anticipating disaster. If you try to take the festivities as they come and limit your expectations – both good and bad – you may enjoy them more.


5. Forget the unimportant stuff

Don't run yourself ragged just to live up to Christmas traditions.

So what if you don't get the lights on the roof this year? So what if you don't get the special Christmas mugs down from the loft?

Give yourself a break. Worrying about such trivial stuff will not add to your festive spirit


6. Volunteer

You may feel stressed and booked up already, but maybe consider taking time to help people who have less than you. Try volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping someone to do their shopping.

We always feel better when we have helped someone and made a difference, however small.

You really have more control than you think. If certain things are guaranteed to stress you out, avoid them


7. Avoid problems

Think about what people or situations trigger your stress and figure out ways to avoid them.

If seeing your uncle stresses you out, skip his New Year's party and just stop by for a quick hello on New Year's Day.

Instead of staying in your bleak, childhood bedroom at your stepfather's house, book into a nearby hotel.

You really have more control than you think.


8. Ask for help - but be specific

See if your spouse will dig out the decorations. Ask a family member to help you cook - or host the Christmas dinner itself. Invite a friend along on shopping trips.

People are often more willing to help out than you expect; they just need some guidance from you on what to do.


9. Don't worry about things beyond your control

OK, perhaps your uncle and your dad get into an argument at every Christmas dinner and it makes you miserable. What can you really do about it?

Remember your limits: you can't control them, but you can control your own reaction to the situation.


10. Make new family traditions

People often feel compelled to keep family Christmas traditions alive long past the point that anyone's actually enjoying them. Don't keep them going for their own sake.

Start a new tradition instead. Create one that's more meaningful to you personally.


11. Find positive ways to remember loved ones

Christmas may remind you of the loved ones who aren't around anymore. Instead of just feeling glum, do something active to celebrate their memory.

For instance, go out with your sisters to your mum's favourite restaurant and make a toast.


The festive season can last for weeks and weeks. People really need to pace themselves or they'll get overwhelmed. Don't say yes to every invitation. 


by Fleur Dash 27 February 2025
Are you struggling to sleep? Find out why, and how you can find solutions to sleep being your friend again. 10 Top tips for glorious sleep. Bed, what a heavenly place! But really should only be entered when tired. It should be a no screens area, a sanctuary for us when we are ready to sleep or read. We shouldn’t hang out in bed watching programs or checking social media as “blue screens” really affect how our brains work, and do not make us feel restful and relaxed, but alert and active. Be reassured by having an alarm set if you need one, so you don’t need to check the time during the night. Having an air vent or window open, fresh air and a cooler temperature will improve your sleep quality. If your head starts to swirl with thoughts, jot them on a piece of paper, knowing you can deal with them tomorrow. I like to go to sleep after writing down tomorrows to-do list, what I have achieved today, and writing down anything I feel grateful for. This routine gets my head in a happy but empty place ready for oblivion. Give yourself between 6 and 9 hours to sleep, adults all need around this amount to function. Any more or less can really start to alter how we feel in our daily lives. It is also important to try and wake up at the same time every day. While it may seem like a good idea to try to catch up on sleep after a bad night, doing so on a regular basis can also disrupt your sleep routine. It is better to take small cat naps of 20 mins during the day, if your sleep is disturbed and you feel exhausted. If you wake in the night and can’t go back to sleep, get up, make a drink, read a book. Don’t lie there worrying about not sleeping. Insomnia can become quite obsessive. As we lie there panicking about missing sleep, we are adding to the problem and creating more stress. It is always better to distract your head with a different activity (that doesn’t have a screen) and allow ourselves to become sleepy again. We sleep in cycles during the night, experiencing rest sleep and dream (REM) sleep. Some of the sleep we have is deep, and some is more shallow. It isn’t a disaster if we wake up and go back to sleep as the quality of sleep is varied anyway. Dream sleep is important for our brains, as we use REM sleep to process the actions of our day. It is when we decide what has been important to store in our libraries, and what we can throw away. If we have too much going on in our lives we have too much to process in one night. Our brains feel overloaded and can wake us (usually around 4am for me!). This is a sign that we have too much stress in our lives, and need to find ways to reduce our anxieties. Our bodies can feel encouraged to sleep too much to empty our stress using dreams, but this will leave us feeling exhausted, and wanting to sleep even more. This is why it is important to stick to 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If your head is full of noise at bedtime, try listening to a calming meditation, or some tranquil sounds like rain or the ocean. Choosing what we think about is an important factor of how stressful our lives can become. Making a choice not to dwell on the thoughts that are still churning round is a great way to train our brains to be quieter. Choosing our thoughts is empowering and a deeply effective way of improving our mental well being.
by Fleur Dash 16 December 2024
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
by Fleur Dash 26 August 2024
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
Share by: