Christmas is supposedly one of the happiest times of year but – what with all the planning, spending and socialising – it can also be one of the most stressful. Here we talk to mindfulness expert John Lingley, who gives the low-down on relaxing techniques you can use in order to beat the festive stress.
1. Try mindful eating
Find yourself constantly on your feet during the countdown to Christmas? Take regular breaks and tuck into your favourite snacks to lower your stress levels.
‘The trick is to eat mindfully – imagine you’ve just landed on Earth from another planet, and have never seen this particular snack before,’ says John. ‘Examine it closely, notice the smell, and consciously chew and swallow the food. Focusing on the pleasurable sensations will boost feelings of relaxation, while lowering any tension too.’
2. Adopt the 5-5-5 technique
If you feel like your mind is whirring at a million miles an hour when you hit the shops, the 5-5-5 technique is a great way to bring you back to the present moment.
‘Just become aware of five things you can see, five things you can hear, and five things making contact with your body,’ says John. ‘The calming technique will soon bring you out of your thoughts, and leave you feeling more positive about all those presents you need to buy.’
3. Practice ‘letting go’
Most of us find big crowds stressful, but John says that the key to staying calm is to “let go” of any judgemental thoughts that pop into your head while you’re out and about.
‘Observe negative thoughts like, “I can’t stand crowds”, as an impartial witness. By being aware of the negative thoughts, you’ll stop your them spiralling out of control, and avoid a pre-Christmas meltdown.’
4. Deal with difficult emotions head on
Spending too much time with tricky in-laws, parents or siblings can bring all sorts of difficult emotions to the surface. Lingley recommends a mindfulness technique of identifying these emotions arising within you, instead of ignoring them.
‘Is your mother-in-law interfering again? Or is your dad being overbearing? Identify any troublesome emotions by saying, “I have a sense of anger arising”, or “I can sense irritation”,’ says John. ‘This will help stop difficult emotions from going unchecked and a heated argument escalating.’
5. Breathe
Navigating the manic Christmas crowds can quickly raise your stress levels. When you feel your heart-rate start to rise, Lingley recommends a quick mindfulness trick – bringing awareness to your breathing.
‘Get into the zone by focusing on the rising and falling of your chest, during the in-breath and out-breath. You’ll soon feel calm and collected, even in the midst of all the festive shopping frenzy.’
6. Listen to calming music
Nothing beats a relaxing playlist to help you stay calm during Christmas preparations. But, if you really want to get in a chilled-out mood, make sure you listen to soothing music genres.
‘Add some relaxing piano music or instrumental Chinese tracks onto your playlist,’ says. ‘Calming nature tracks, or enchanted forest music can be great at relieving stress while you’re out and about running last-minute errands or cooking a big family meal.’
7. Accept the situation
Hate all the achingly long queues, traffic jams and manic preparations in the lead up to Christmas? According to Lingley, much of the stress comes from wishing things were different.
‘Instead of internally complaining to yourself, try repeating the mantra, “It is what it is!”,’ says John. ‘Accepting and surrendering to the situation will make it much more bearable, and not half as stressful as you originally thought.”
