Beat Christmas Stress with These Tips

Christmas is meant to be a jolly time filled with laughter, family fun, and relaxation. But instead, we might usually feel overwhelmed at this time of the year. Christmas shopping is quite stressful because you want to get everyone something special but need to stay within budget. Prepping the perfect dinner also isn’t the easiest feat. And hanging all of those festive decorations sure is a lot of hard work. There may be many challenges – people consuming too much alcohol, old family issues being aired again, people forced to come together against the will. Others spend the day traveling from house to house to please everyone.

Christmas seems to be getting more and more stressful with each passing year, and this has been a big year for all of us. We all know how unhealthy all of this stress and/or anxiety is.

The Effects of Stress 

Too much stress can deprive you of healing sleep. When you do manage to sleep, your nights may be filled with dreams about the tasks that are still pending. The result is fatigue and a short fuse that can explode on any family member that dares look at you in the wrong way. You may also experience other negative symptoms such as forgetfulness, a lack of concentration, negative thoughts, and even speech problems. If so, no wonder no one likes to hang around you during the festive season. 

Stress also has a very bad physical effect on your body. Too much stress can impair your immune system leaving you vulnerable to colds and flu. Stress also causes digestion issues, headaches, sleep problems, tense muscles, and stress always makes you look older, or can result in skin irritations.

Ways to Beat Christmas Stress

There are quite a few things you can do to reduce the stress load around Christmas time. Here is a quick look at some of the best ways to feel better about this busy season.

1. Consider Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is one of the best alternative medical treatments to help you reduce stress. Unlike calming medications, hypnotherapyt has no negative side effects on your body. During hypnosis, your hypnotherapist will create a state of relaxed, focused attention and increased suggestibility. In this state, the hypnotherapist will use positive suggestions and guided imagery to help you overcome or reduce stress. 

The tension you usually feel around Christmas time usually stems from some negative experience you might have had around this season or it might result from insecurities. Hypnotherapy can help you reset these core feelings and beliefs so you will enjoy Christmas in a more positive light. Hypnotherapy is also excellent for enhancing concentration and focus so you can get your Christmas tasks completed much quicker.

2. Do Your Christmas Shopping Well In Advance

We all love to put off Christmas shopping until the very last moment in hopes of finding gifts at discounted prices. But the sales you see in stores are usually an illusion. These sales trick you into thinking that certain gifts are available at a remarkable price. You end up spending more for these ‘marked down’ items instead of buying the gifts you initially would have purchased and you almost always end up with gifts that you didn’t really want to get. 

Buying your gifts in advance allows you to budget better for Christmas and you have more time to think things through.

3. Do Some Physical Exercise

One of the best ways to combat stress and anxiety is through physical exercise. More exercise, or simply ‘movement’, helps you think clearly and helps you focus on other things in your life so your mind won’t dwell on just Christmas. You will become more objective and will realise that there is no need to fuss that much about this one day.

If you take the right steps before the festive season arrives, you are guaranteed to get much more done and you will feel much better when Christmas time does finally arrive. If you wish to learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you deal with stress and anxiety, or any other deeply rooted issues and bad habits that may be affecting you at this time, contact Evolution Hypnotherapy, or make an online booking today,