How to prioritise joy this festive season
The festive season is well and truly underway now, isn’t it? This can be a truly magical and joyful time of year, but it can also be busy, stressful and overwhelming, too. But it doesn’t have to be that way - with a few considerations and a little bit of forward planning, you can cling on to the joy this festive season without completely burning yourself out.
And that’s what I wanted to write about today - before life gets crazy and Christmas takes over, I wanted to get in there with my very best tips to help you embrace the best bits of December, whilst also keeping the stress to a minimum.
1) Be mindful about your time
My first tip is to be really mindful about how you’re spending your time this month. Life gets busy in December, and if you’re not careful, you can end up with a diary jam packed with family gatherings and Christmas parties, and not a single hour spare just for you.
So today, take some time to sit with your diary. Familiarise yourself with the social commitments you’ve already made, and then allocate some time for the things you really want to do this December. Pencil in time for a quiet evening at home, or a day to wander round the shops without any other commitments. Then treat that time you’ve pencilled in for you as sacred.
You’ll enjoy this season so much more if you have some time to breathe and relax around all of the fun and socialising - and you’ll probably make a much better party guest if you’re well rested, too!
2) Get organised
I’m a big believer that one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves in December is to get organised and take some of the pressure off ourselves. There are always surprises and curveballs at this time of year, but there are plenty of things we can plan for too, and getting ahead on those things will make the whole season more enjoyable.
Make a list of the presents you need to buy, do your big grocery shop online, batch cook some healthy meals for the freezer, get ahead with your wrapping, book your train tickets home for Christmas - these all sound like small things, but they’ll make a big difference to the amount of stress and overwhelm you experience in the coming weeks.
3) Avoid the comparison trap
I know from past experience that Christmas can be a particularly fertile time for comparison - suddenly everyone is sharing a lot more on social media, and it’s tempting to compare your own home/family/financial situation to those that you’re seeing portrayed on Instagram or Facebook.
If you know that you’re prone to comparison, it might be worth limiting the amount of time you spend on social media over the coming weeks. It can also help to really double down on your gratitude practice - it’s harder to feel envious of what somebody else has if you’re basking in appreciation for your own life.
4) Prioritise healthy habits
I’m not going to sit here and tell you to be super healthy in December, because let’s face it, this is the month of pigs in blankets, chocolate for breakfast, and many glasses of fizz! But that doesn’t mean that all bets are off and every healthy habit has to go out of the window.
Some healthy habits that I’m trying to cling on to for December include prioritising 8 hours sleep most nights, keeping up some gentle exercise, taking my vitamins, and trying to keep a certain number of days alcohol free. All relatively straightforward stuff that won’t dampen my enjoyment of the festive period, but hopefully they’ll help me to end the year feeling healthy instead of burnt out.
5) Enjoy the moment
My final tip is to slow down and soak it all up. Christmas comes but once a year, and the magic of this season is in the memories made, so allow yourself to really be present for those memories and truly enjoy them there and then in the moment.
Try not to put pressure on yourself to make everything perfect. When you look back at this time in years to come, it won’t be the perfectly decorated tree or the fancy presents that you’ll remember, it’ll be the laughter around the dining table, the night spent dancing with your friends, and the conversations you had with your loved ones, so be gentle with yourself and remember that.
How will you be prioritising joy this Christmas?
