When someone says ‘look after yourself’, most people think of not driving too fast, eating the right food or exercising. Yet stress can cause the most harm to your psychical body, energy system and psychology. The holiday season can be far from a holiday for many people. Statistics show more relationships break up and the suicide rates go up around the festive period, more than any other time of year. To make it a happier occasion for all, here are some tips for you to enjoy it as much as possible and look after yourself at the same time.
Learn how to say no
It’s so easy to get roped into doing things you simply don’t want to do. The more you compromise your authentic self, the more stress you will feel. Say no, even if you have said yes and have to call back and change plans. You don’t want to feel resentful, which can build up over time and damage the relationship that you’re trying to do right by.
Booze with caution
We have an energy layer called the pain body, and when we drink anything you not forgiven or dealt with in the past will activate the energy in the pain body, which brings up old emotions and pain which have little to do with the current situation. In particular, when you are around family members, old pain can be super-reactive, as if time never passed, especially when you’ve been drinking. It’s likely you will then react in a way that is disproportionate to the situation, so drink sensibly and be aware of how you’re reacting if you to start getting tipsy – and stop drinking.
Don’t get tired, cold or hungry
Somehow a combination of tired, cold and hungry will make a demon out of the calmest angel. Try and make sure your body has those needs covered otherwise we can become stressed and agitated without realising why.
Allowing time
If you have to be somewhere, allow yourself more time then you need to get there. Don’t make yourself rush, as that’s so stressful and can be dangerous in a car. Also, take time for yourself, even if you have to go and hide in the bathroom, make sure you get some time when everything is silent. Too much noise can be stressful. Many families talk over the top of each other, so try and listen to what people are telling you, even if’s something you’re really not interested in. Everyone likes to feel important.
Limit your expectations
Don’t think that everyone is having a better time than you, no matter what they say on facebook. We set a high expectation that we MUST be having a good time, so any unhappiness we feel is highlighted even more, making us even more unhappy and so on. If you have a negative feeling, don’t judge it to be wrong, just accept it for what it is and you’re likely move into a happy feeling more quickly.
During this holiday season really make sure you take some time out. Most the time we put more expectations on ourselves than anyone puts on us. So take some time to relax when you can.
Tune into Becky this Tuesday 27th 10am on 93.2fm or www.bcfm.org.uk Becky will be a guest on Sangeeta in the morning show talking about looking after yourself.
Enjoy!