Waiting for Christmas? For some, this time of year is the most wonderful. It is full of faith, magic, love, peace, joy, laughter, optimism, family, friends, good food, various winter activities, cozy evenings, and beautiful memories. For others, it can also be a time of stress, anxiety, sadness, hurry, disappointment, overwork, and overspending.
Many people find the pre-Christmas and New Year period stressful because there is shopping to do, cooking, cleaning, party planning, crowds everywhere, the fear of failure of giving the wrong gifts or cooking dishes that won’t please guests, and the list goes on. But there’s good news too, planning and paying attention to your lifestyle will ensure that the festive season doesn’t leave you with health problems. Here are a few tips that can help you through this period:
1. Plan, plan, plan – it’s stressful to know you have too much to do and not enough time for it all. You can avoid many stressful situations if you start planning. Make a calendar of the events you want to organize, make a list, and decide on a budget, what gifts to buy, and what to cook. It will save you a lot of hassle and allow you to relax and enjoy the Christmas season too.
2. Organise activities, and set boundaries – you have to clean, decorate the tree, do some shopping, etc. Involving family and friends will take some of the pressure off. Set limits to protect yourself from burnout.
3. Make time for sleep and rest – frequent rest breaks can compensate for stress build-up. Resting every day keeps your body healthy, especially during the busy Christmas period. Just five minutes of sitting down here and there now and then during the day is enough to offset the build-up of stress and restlessness. Don’t neglect the 7-8 hours of sleep a night that should be given to your body, because it helps to strengthen its immunity.
4. Watch your diet – eating too much food, especially traditional foods, can lead to digestive problems. Eating in moderation can help avoid many health problems. Make healthy food choices, with more vegetables and fruit and lean meat predominating. Don’t forget that 70% of your immune system, which helps you feel good, is in your digestive system. And depending on what foods you serve it will help you too.
Chew your food slowly, it takes about twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that enough is enough. Eating more slowly can help you consume less and feel full. Be selective about what you eat. Foods high in fats and sugars stimulate the body and are stressful for it.
5. Proper hydration – dehydration is a stress on the body. Add in the stress of the holiday season and it’s no wonder feelings of anxiety, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, and mood swings occur. Consume as much water as possible, even teas have huge benefits for the body, including reducing stress and inducing relaxation.
6. Keep exercising – exercise, movement helps you forget your worries for a while, avoids stress, and is also good for your muscle tone, and circulatory system. Even if you don’t have time to go to the gym, get out for a short walk or you can work out at home, doing crunches, push-ups, and cardio exercises.
7. Manage stress – it’s better to try to manage stress one step at a time than to find yourself in the position of trying to find recovery solutions after the holidays when stress is at its peak. Apply meditation techniques and relaxation techniques, do yoga, and force yourself to find time for yourself and your thoughts.
8. Preparing the Christmas meal – an important aspect that causes stress during this period is cooking, and what dishes to cook. There are so many tempting dishes, but you can find healthy alternatives, simple and easy to cook. Choose to put more salads and vegetables on the table and avoid dishes with lots of sugar and salt.
9. Take care of your well-being – there’s no point trying to make everything perfect for the holidays if you’re not feeling well. Running around the shops, shopping for presents, and preparing festive food can be stressful, and in the end, you end up with tired feet and aching joints. Turn to creams and gels to invigorate your feet and make them feel better. VenoHelp cream is an effective circulation-boosting solution to eliminate the tired feeling in your feet and reduce swelling and pain. Joint and muscle pain can also be easily relieved with ArtroWell joint gel. Last but not least, you can complete your therapeutic arsenal for wellness with HRI-Vitalion Plus tablets with an improved formula that is a powerful supplement for your body’s needs, along with a nutrient-rich diet.