I Need to Cope with the Stresses of Christmas!

I have found November a particularly difficult time this year. For a number of reasons related to my son and his college. He missed 19 college days and its also been very stressful due to my daughter’s mental health. On 1st December  I managed to get away for a night away with my best friend which was incredible and much needed.

I had time to relax and enjoy a normal life for a change.  So I write this because we go into December with so much expectation.  After Covid took away a NORMAL Christmas last year. Many are looking forward to a much improved Christmas with family and friends. However, the expectations of Christmas can become overwhelming.  Even getting the Christmas decorations up can become a stressful time. I was very late making my Christmas Cakes this year so I already feel behind I have only purchased a small number of gifts so I have decided to reflect on reducing that stress this year. At the end of the day, it’s about spending quality time with friends and family.

It is easy to feel the stresses and pressures of Christmas as we go through the season. However, there are ways to cope with those pressures and stresses. The first step is realizing how you feel. This starts with building a list of what causes those feelings. Then, you can start making a plan for coping with them.

One of the most common problems that people experience this time of year is holiday stress. In order to avoid this problem, it’s important to take care of yourself by including self-care activities in your daily routine and by getting enough sleep at night.

The Christmas holidays are a time of relaxation and celebration. It is also a time where we have to juggle a lot of tasks. Some tips for coping with the Christmas season are:

*Give yourself permission to not get everything done. You can’t do it all.

*Plan ahead, make lists, and prioritize what you’d like to get done during this busy time of year.

*Take care of yourself; remember that you deserve the break too!

*Socialize; interact with others and give your brain some rest by taking it out of work mode every now and then

*Eat well; eat healthy, nutritious food to fuel your body for all the tasks at hand

The Christmas season can be a hectic time for anyone, but it is especially difficult for those with anxiety or depression. Coping with the Christmas season can make anxiety and depression worse if you don’t know how to handle it.

Ways to Relax and Overcome Stress this Holiday Season

This section is about the ways to relax and overcome stress this holiday season. It discusses the negative effects of stress on your mental health, as well as some strategies to manage it.

The first thing that you should know is that stress has a negative effect on your mental health. It can cause many problems, including sleep disorders, heart problems, and more. You should make an effort to reduce or even eliminate it from your life if you want to be happy this holiday season.

There are four main things that can help you with managing your stress this holiday season: taking time for yourself, slowing down and doing less around the house, spending time with family or friends; getting enough rest; and practicing forgiveness. And don’t forget about exercise – try yoga or meditation!

This holiday season, we all need to stay healthy and happy.

Here are some tips on how you can remain calm and healthy during this busy time:

– Try a physical activity to keep your blood flowing and your spirits high. This could be anything from a quick walk to a rigorous workout.

– Be present with the people around you by telling stories, reminiscing, or just enjoying the company of those around you.

– Remember that it is not about what you buy but what you give. Whether it is giving someone a kind word or volunteering your time for an organization, picking up litter from the street, or donating food at a shelter – these acts of kindness will do more for your sense of well-being than any purchase ever can.

How to Cope with Christmas Stress: Tips for Coping and Resilience

Coping with stress in social situations is a difficult task for many people. It can also be complicated to understand the differences between stress and anxiety, and the difference between good and bad stress.

One of the most important things to remember when coping with stress, is to take care of your body. This includes eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and doing something you find relaxing or enjoyable. If you live in a busy environment with not much time for these things it can help to set some realistic goals for yourself such as getting up early for work so that you have time before work to do them.

It’s also important not just to try to block thoughts about stressful events from your mind but also talk about them with someone you trust or who can give you advice about how best to cope.

The holidays are always a wonderful time of year. But, for many, they can also be stressful. If you are one that worries about making mistakes or not being perfect, this stress is inevitable.

The holidays can be overwhelming with all the hustle and bustle of families, parties, shopping and decorating. To avoid holiday stress it is important to take care of yourself by practicing healthy habits like regular exercise and getting enough sleep. Setting reasonable goals for your family gifts, social events, and house decorations is also helpful in reducing stress levels during this time of year.

Sleep is an Antidote for Stress

Sadly, stress is part of life. At some point, everyone experiences stress. Physical, emotional and other types of stress take their toll on our minds and bodies. That’s why sleep is so important. Sleep is an antidote for stress.

Our bodies use sleep to restore and recover. While we sleep our bodies carry out important restorative functions. Our brains rid themselves of toxins and sort out the events that happened throughout the day. Our bodies repair and restore themselves as well. It’s pretty amazing how much our minds and bodies remain active even when we are sleeping.

Stress affects the mind and body

Stress takes its toll on our minds and bodies. Stress causes the release of cortisol, a powerful hormone that triggers the fight or flight response in our bodies. This hormone can cause overwhelming sensations in the body, raise blood pressure, and cause anxious feelings. Sound sleep helps reduce the levels of cortisol and balance the chemistry in the brain and body. Chronic stress without adequate sleep can raise your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Stress affects our mood

Stress affects our mood. When we are stressed, we tend to over or under-react. This can lead to an onslaught of problems. Living in a heightened sense of worry or anxiety can result in eating too much or too little, emotional outbursts or withdrawal, or a wide range of other behaviors. After a long day of stress, the best thing to regulate mood swings is a restful night’s sleep.

Stress affects our relationships

Stress changes how we engage with other people. Being worried, anxious, or overwhelmed makes it harder to be present and engage positively with other people. From co-workers to family, stress can fracture relationships if we aren’t careful. Being able to unplug from people and take some time for yourself can help. Sleeping provides a significant amount of time to recharge and get ready to face the world again. Even the act of relaxing in bed prior to sleeping can aid in rebuilding your energy and make it easier to get along with others.

Sleep is the antidote for stress

Sleep is a wonderful remedy for a stressful day. Relaxing in the comfort of your bed and letting go of the worries of the world can give you new perspective, renew your spirit and energy. Sleep can be the escape you need from the pressures going on and give you the uninterrupted time to recover. Making sleep a priority, including naps when necessary, can help your mind and body recover from stress and manage difficult situations easier.

Ways to Encourage Reluctant Readers

I always struggled to get my kids to read books I thought it would be great to include some helpful tips for your reluctant reader. There are lots of reasons why your child is finding difficulty reading. They could be dyslexic or they are just bored with the choice of reading material.

A reluctance to read can be for various reasons. However, just because a child does not care for reading material does not mean that we cannot attempt to change their likes and dislikes, encouraging an appreciation for the written word. 

Here are some suggestions of how you could encourage the reluctant reader in your life. 

Read to them

Sometimes a child simply isn’t ready to read, and they must gain enthusiasm for stories and other texts. What better feeling as a parent than leaving them at the end of a chapter desperate to find out what happens next? Audiobooks are another valuable resource, especially useful for long car journeys. 

Vary the material

Often, we are so fixated on children reading the book that has been sent home from school that we neglect their willingness to read other things. Whether it’s a catalogue for a toy store or an instruction manual for their Lego model, a comic book, or a non-fiction book about Space, allow them the freedom to choose their own material on occasions. 

Role reversal

Kids love telling us parents what we’ve done wrong, right? Reversing the typical roles of the parent as the teacher and the child as the student allows your kid to take charge and boss you around. Read their reading book to them in the hope that they will pick up on your mistakes. Pay attention to the sound they have been learning and get them wrong. Then, they are likely to realize you’ve made a mistake and pull you upon it. 

Reduce the formality

How you structure your reading time with your child can make a difference in how well it is received. Forget the table and chairs. Instead, get comfy and cozy, wrap up under a blanket, hideaway in a den, and share a book, encouraging your child to read alternate words, then sentences, and eventually paragraphs and pages. If your kid is used to reading in the same place at the same time every night, perhaps that is why they are reluctant. You could create a spinner with a few different places written on, including the treehouse in the garden or even the bathtub, and get them to spin it each night and see which location is randomly selected. 

Read to soft toys

Parents aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to reading. Some children adore reading to their teacher but audibly groan when it’s time to read to Mum. Get them to grab their favourite teddies, arrange them in a circle, and read them a bedtime story. You can still access it on the periphery, but you are not the main focus like you usually would be.

Incorporate games

Is it still reading if you play games that involve sounding out the words? Of course! One of the most enjoyable games for younger children is ‘fastest finger first. After reading a page of their book, get them to wiggle their index finger and give them a word that they must find before you do. This game helps them to remember words and can also be super fun for both them and you. Just don’t let them win every time!