“It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you be of good cheer
It's the most wonderful time of the year”
These lyrics from Andy William’s famous Christmas song ring out year after year, but do they ring true? Various studies have shown that many of us find Christmas really quite stressful with 76% of people responding to one survey saying that they had trouble sleeping at Christmas due to stress.
Christmas time can be wonderful, but if it’s not, that’s ok too. The reality is that for many of us, it will have both it’s highs, and it’s lows.
Our Winter and Wonder resource takes a realistic look at some of the challenges we might face over the Christmas period, and aims to give us some tools to best approach those challenges.
Covering the themes ‘All Change, ‘Space’, ‘Light’, ‘Journey’ and ‘Dance’, the resource gives us practical self care tools to make sure we get through this period ‘well’.
Covering the themes ‘All Change, ‘Space’, ‘Light’, ‘Journey’ and ‘Dance’, the resource gives us practical self care tools to make sure we get through this period ‘well’. Each section includes an activity to encourage us to grow, some simple wisdom, a minute mantra and a stillness exercise. There really are some excellent ideas in here.
In the ‘All Change’ section, Andy explores how the Christmas period often involves a lot of things that are outside of our ‘normal’, and whilst these can be joyous, they can also cause us to feel a bit disorientated. Andy suggests some simple things we can do to give our bodies and brains the reassurance they might crave:
“Maybe wake the same time as you usually do. Go for your morning run as usual or read before you go to bed. Bring familiar things with you if you’re in a different place. This simple step can often be quite reassuring”
In the ‘Space’ section, we’re encouraged to explore our need for personal space in the midst of a crowded schedule. Andy suggests:
“Spend an intentional time on your own and bring a pen and paper. Begin to doodle and see what emerges. As you doodle listen to yourself. What do you become aware of? Don’t feel the need to intervene or act on what you doodle or what you are aware of in your thinking. Just listen”
So if you’re anticipating that there could be too much ‘mistltoeing’, or heart’s aren’t all glowing, or loved ones aren’t near, download our resource now so Christmas can be a bit more of a wonderful time of year for you.