{"id":41,"date":"2022-12-06T09:43:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T09:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/?p=41"},"modified":"2022-12-06T09:49:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T09:49:08","slug":"lets-talk-about-being-calm-before-during-and-after-xmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/2022\/12\/06\/lets-talk-about-being-calm-before-during-and-after-xmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Lets talk about\u2026 being calm before, during and after Xmas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This time of year can bring mixed emotions and challenges. Not only are there plenty of things to do, buy and remember but we can also be feeling the pressure in other ways.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We might remember loved ones that are no longer with us<\/li>\n<li>Have extra clutter, noise and people in our homes<\/li>\n<li>Struggle with finances<\/li>\n<li>Find ourselves in situations or with people that we would normally not have to deal with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, if you\u2019re struggling or find Christmas particularly emotional or tough, think about using some of the following tips to take care of yourself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get organised<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Much of life is easier if you\u2019re not chasing your tail or winging it. Think about what is important to you and make a plan. This could be around gift-giving, making sure you\u2019ve bought everything you might need, or just simplifying your traditions and schedule so you can do less but focus more on other things, such as friends and family. Think about the really important things and prioritise, including preparing for a good night\u2019s sleep and food to nourish you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prioritise self-care<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Practice regular self-care and find time for yourself each day. It doesn\u2019t need to take a long time or be expensive. Create some habits around consistent and practical self-care that you can start now and keep up through the holidays and beyond. Remind yourself that self-care isn\u2019t selfish. Doing things for yourself (and not just everyone else) will help you enjoy the time more and be calmer and more present.<\/p>\n<p>You could try 3-5 breathing for when something is not going to plan, huff and puff it away. Get your body into 'rest and digest' mode by breathing in for a count of three, then out for five. As you breathe in, allow your belly to expand like a balloon and as you exhale, let the balloon deflate.<\/p>\n<p>Or Meditate, there are many benefits recorded about practicing meditation and mindfulness. Why not enrol on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/announcements\/be-mindful-online-course\/\">\u2018Be Mindful\u2019<\/a> course, free for all staff.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get outside<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it helps to find a change of scene so you might like to get outside. Go for a walk, feel the fresh air and move your body. Nature has such a calming influence and it might make a good antidote to the hustle and bustle of a busy, festively chaotic home. If the weather isn\u2019t favourable, get your trainers, ramp up those Christmas tunes and exercise. Working out helps your immune system and boosts endorphins, helping you sleep better and easing the pressure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Set boundaries<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These could be boundaries around how much screen time you give yourself or how many invitations you\u2019ll accept, but of all the boundaries you could set, there is one that may help beyond all others\u2026 saying no. Saying no to an invitation, opportunity or activity isn\u2019t necessarily no forever. It could just mean no for now. The more you practice saying no, the more you\u2019ll feel confident in saying it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s more about what you\u2019re saying yes to instead and how that\u2019s more important for you right now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shake it off<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is all about owning your feelings. Although it may appear that it is other people who are driving you mad, you're the one who decides how you respond to the things around you. Make a commitment to yourself to 'let things go' and realise that there are some things you can't control. By reacting negatively you'll only end up spoiling your own Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>A good quote to remind you:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI am not the thought, I am the thinker of the thought\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Deepak Chopra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This time of year can bring mixed emotions and challenges. Not only are there plenty of things to do, buy and remember but we can also be feeling the pressure in other ways. We might remember loved ones that are...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1544,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employee-wellbeing","category-mental-health"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/shew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}