Whilst the Christmas period is meant to be a holiday, for many people, this time of year is often the complete opposite. As the big day draws nearer, the rush to make sure all presents are bought and all preparations are made gets increasingly frantic. Even once you are physically ready for Christmas, are you ready for the mass of possibly awkward social interactions with family members that you rarely see, or in some cases, would rather not see?
For most families, the expectation to create a perfect Christmas is extremely stressful, as it can be nigh on impossible to get all the right presents and the chances are, something may go wrong with Christmas dinner, especially if you are cooking for a lot of people. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that many people are prone to suffering from complaints such as back and neck pain, headaches or insomnia during the Christmas holidays.
If you do suffer from any of these problems over Christmas, an Osteopath can treat and give advice for all of these ailments. However, you will understandably want to do what you can to relax and distress. Here we look at some top tips for enjoying the festive season rather than making yourself ill with worry:
Plan ahead – Start early and make lists of important things that you’ll need to do over Christmas. By writing everything down in detail, you can decide what can be done straight away to reduce your workload, and what you can leave until last minute without getting stressed. Make sure you delegate tasks to family members so that you don’t wear yourself out.
Safety – To avoid giving yourself unwanted back or neck pains, when you are lugging heavy boxes of decorations around, make sure you get someone to help you, and when you are lifting boxes down from the loft, make sure you take the right safety precautions.
Know when to stop – When you feel that you need to relax, make sure you do. Christmas is your holiday too.
Keep calm – If you are struggling to relax, there are a few steps you can take:
- Play relaxing music
- Burn some scented candles
- Have a relaxing bath
- Practice breathing – when we are stressed, our heart beat increases and our breathing shallows. Try to reverse this process and breathe deeply. Try to breath in deeply through your nose, hold this for a few seconds, and then breathe slowly out through your mouth and repeat to reduce the feeling of stress
Turkey – Turkey contains tryptophan; our body uses this to make serotonin, a chemical that helps to calm our brain.
Don’t drink too much – There is no need to avoid alcohol all together, its Christmas! However, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can leave you dehydrated and makes your liver work hard. You will feel much better if you drink as much water as alcohol as you will be better hydrated and able to deal with stressful Christmas situations.
Most of all, have fun! – Make the most of things and try to enjoy yourself.
If you find that you do suffer with aches and pains this Christmas, or get struck by insomnia when the excitement is too much, you can contact Fiona Passey & Partners to help you feel yourself again in time for the New Year.
For some people, this time of the year can be a difficult and emotional time as we reflect on the year gone of family or friends that we have lost. Visiting a counsellor and talking to them in confidence can help you to deal with difficult times. A Counsellor is trained to listen to you and respond effectively, in a completely non-judgmental way.
