Life & Style | General
Ten ways to stress less at Christmas
To children, it means Santa and his generous sack of gifts. To adults, it means present pressure, diary anxiety and perfect-meal mania. Louisa Wilkins rounds up some top tips to ensure your big day turns out more merry than hairy
- By Louisa Wilkins, Senior Features Writer, Aquarius
- Published: 00:00 December 1, 2011
- Image Credit: Camera Press
- All of us need some time to recharge our batteries during the festive period.
1. Employ damage control
The downside of the Santa story is that it can lead children to believe that whatever their heart desires will magically appear under the tree. This can be stressful for parents when staring at a list that amounts to Dh50,000 worth of gifts, including a horse. Keren Bobker, senior consultant at Holborn Assets Insurance Brokers (www.holbornassets.com), says, "Manage your children's expectations by explaining that they cannot have everything they want. Decide on a budget and stick to it. Work out how much you have to spend on gifts and don't overspend."
Action: Sit them down to watch Jim Carrey in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which teaches good lessons in the fact that Christmas means more than what you buy from the shops.
2. Stay grounded
Saliha Afridi, clinical psychologist and founder of The Lighthouse Arabia (www.lighthousearabia.com), says, "We've created so much noise in our heads around Christmas that we've lost the real essence of it. Stay true to the spirit of Christmas and what it means to you and your family. Instead of asking yourself, ‘What do I need to buy?" Ask, ‘What does Christmas mean?'"
Action: Decide, as a family, your main goal of Christmas day, write it down and stick it on the fridge. When making decisions, refer back to it and ask if your decision is serving this end goal.
3. Make a plan
Get planning with checklists and countdowns to keep your progress on track. While you are planning, think back to last Christmas - what went well and which bits were stressful?
Action: Organised Christmas (christmas.organizedhome.com) offers free Christmas countdown and planner downloads, with detailed lists of what you should be focusing on and achieving each week.
4. Have some down time
It's easy to get tired and run down in the lead-up to Christmas. To counteract this, the American Psychological Association says, "Remember that you're only one person and can only accomplish certain things. Sometimes self-care is the best thing you can do — others will benefit when you're stress-free. Go for a long walk, get a massage, take time out to listen to your favourite music, or read a new book. All of us need some time to recharge our batteries — by slowing down you will actually have more energy to accomplish your goals."
Action: On your calendar, book two evenings a week for the whole month as Christmas-free evenings - and make sure you stick to them.
5. Be sensible
Not only does Christmas cause stress before the big day, but the credit-card payments afterwards can cause some headaches. Financial consultant Keren says, "Don't feel guilty about not being extravagant if you can't afford it. Christmas is supposed to be the season of goodwill, not the season of spending too much on unnecessary things."
Action: Agree on a fixed amount that you and your partner spend on each other and get creative with the gift ideas. For example, only buy each other things you will use every day; or, only buy things you have never had before.
6. Multiple buys
Buy lots of the same genderless gifts to dish out to your children's school teachers, the security man in your building, your colleagues and anyone else you want to show you appreciate.
Action: Arte markets and souqs are the perfect place to pick up quirky, fun, homemade gifts. This month's Arte market at the Ikea building in Dubai Festival City is on December 2, and the Arte souq at Times Square Centre is on December 9. www.arte.ae
7. Order online
The malls may make you feel Christmasy, but shopping under pressure will raise your heart rate by 10 per cent and leave you feeling stressed for hours after you've left the mall, say researchers at the University of East London. Instead, try shopping online - even if you've left your shopping until the last minute, many local websites offer free home delivery within a couple of days.
Action: Get children's pressies at www.mumzworld.com, which offers more than 24,000 items, delivers within three days, allows a cash-on-delivery payment option and includes free delivery when you spend more than Dh200. Alternatively, see our online gift feature.
8. Share the pressure
A study by BabyChild.org.uk found that more than two thirds of mothers reported feeling ‘very stressed' at Christmas. Out of these mothers, more than half felt that they had too much to do and more than a third said they didn't get help from family members.
Action: When you're doing your Christmas planning, divvy out certain tasks and responsibilities to your partner. Also, get your children involved with wrapping presents, writing out cards and helping you in the kitchen.
9. Check the small print
When buying so many gifts, there's bound to be one that doesn't fit, is in the wrong colour, or is simply not wanted. According to which.co.uk, 82 per cent of people returning gifts face problems when they get to the shop. Avoid problems by checking the returns policy before buying gifts and keep receipts.
Action: Put an envelope in your handbag for keeping all your Christmas shopping receipts in one place.
10. Chill out
Therapeutic counsellor Francesca Rodgers (www.francescarodgerscounselling.com) says, "Don't panic if it doesn't all pan out the way you expected... it's just the way life rolls. Remember a burnt turkey, or a plan that didn't work, can't spoil your day - only your reaction to it can. If you feel stress rising, take a couple of moments to yourself and reset your self-control. Focus on the hours as they pass so that the day doesn't just flash by and remember to enjoy yourself."
Action: Invest in a few fun Christmas games that everyone can play together. When the tension starts mounting, start a silly game to release the pressure.
More from General
More from Life & Style
The monthly wellbeing and family magazine
Life & Style editor's choice
-
Classic cars: Porsche 928
The 928 may have failed to oust the 911, but the 'normal' Porsche has its virtues
-
The wake-up exercise workout
The perfect gentle exercise routine to kick-start your day
-
The former model helping Indian schools
Children in an Indian village now have classrooms - thanks to a UAE-based charity
