Simple Ways To Beat Seasonal Stress & Fatigue
It’s the festive season! We ought to feel jolly and excited about all the shopping, decorating, wrapping and of course, Christmas parties and merriment!
But, that’s not always the case. Stress and fatigue during the winter months is understandable. Not only do we undergo a shift in daylight, temperature and changing schedules, the Christmas build-up can become unmanageable for many, leading to low motivation and dips in mood; poor sleep, trouble concentrating and that ever-frustrating tired but wired feeling you just can’t shake.
So, how can we enter the seasonal period feeling a little more in control and avoid the inevitable Christmas stress?
Don’t neglect your rituals
First and foremost, the arrival of the festive season shouldn’t mean the daily rituals and routines that you’ve established to maintain and nourish your mental and physical wellbeing should be the first to go.
Hold on to the things that are important to you. Protect that morning yoga practice, invest in a headtorch so you can continue with your post-work evening jogs or choose to go alcohol-free for your Christmas party if you’re anxious about disruption to your sleep.
This is your festive period too, so make it work for you.
Connect to nature
There’s one consistent thing that’s there year-round whenever you need a breather, or are seeking some beautiful solitude – and that’s nature.
Proven to help regulate the stress hormone, cortisol, restore mental clarity and calm the nervous system, getting out into nature, in whatever form that takes for you is important no matter what month we’re in.
Start a new ritual, get out for a 15-minute walk first thing or wrap up and sit in the garden with a coffee; it’ll help regulate your circadian rhythm, waking your mind and body up with natural light and to the sound of the birds, which will in turn aid better sleep and reduce stress.
From the doorstep of our New Forest hotel step out onto quiet heathland trails and winding forest tracks; cycle, walk, jog and explore our beautiful ancient woodland that’s abundant in glorious flora and fauna.
Prioritise sleep
Late night Christmas dos, boozy weekends and family celebrations can throw us off piste when it comes to usual routine, especially during the festive season when there can be heightened expectations and the all too free and uninhibited use of the phrase, “YOLO!”.
However, according to a Columbia University psychologist, Elizabeth Blake Zakarin, ‘poor or insufficient sleep has been found to increase negative emotional responses to stressors and to decrease positive emotions’.
She goes on to explain that, poor sleep can affect our ability to deal with stressors, even relatively minor ones, and our ability to perceive the world accurately.
So, sleep ought to be top of the list during busy periods, which may mean saying no to a few events or simply calling it a night a little earlier, giving yourself time to wind down and grab a few vital extra hours that could make all the difference to how you deal with the busier season.
Simplify your to do list
Quite simply, let yourself off the hook. You can’t do it all, so revise that to do list and ask yourself whether you really need to do everything?
Those Christmas responsibilities and ‘fun’ festivities have a habit of mounting unexpectedly. That extra present that needs to be purchased, the greeting cards that need writing, posting and delivering, the festive gathering you said you’d host a year ago, and the local Christmas festivities that you really ought to go to…
- Rather than sending a greeting card, save the paper and the postage and write a thoughtful message or email and press send. It’ll save you time and money.
- Let us do the hosting so you can enjoy the party. From festive afternoon teas to sit down meals for your nearest and dearest; you make the guest list and we’ll do the rest.
- Nowadays there are LOTS of Christmas festivities; from fairs and Father Christmas grottos to Christmas lights and merry markets and you can’t go to all of them. Pick a couple that take your fancy and say no to the rest.
Let go of the FOMO
FOMO, or ‘fear of missing out’ is real, it can cause feelings of dissatisfaction, inadequacy and unhealthy comparison with others and can lead you to succumb to social pressure to say yes to events or activities that you just don’t have the capacity for.
And a big cause of FOMO? Social media.
A blog on Calm.com cites social media as one cause of FOMO stating that, ‘while it’s great for staying connected, it can present a skewed view of reality.’ Calm explains that, ‘having an awareness of why social media perpetuates FOMO can be a powerful tool in managing and reducing FOMO in your life.’
Top tips to battle FOMO:
- Step back from social media – even for just a few hours a day or week, and use the time to reconnect with nature, people, the real things around you that bring you joy.
- Practice mindfulness and meditation, even just a few minutes of calm a day can help to adjust your mindset and keep your focus on the present.
- Be realistic about your capacity and set accurate expectations for yourself, recognising that it’s OK that you can’t do EVERYTHING.
- Connect with people in person or choose to pick up the phone and speak to people rather than interacting online.
Plan a winter break
Between all the Christmas festivities time for yourself can often drop to the bottom of the list so why not plan a winter wellness break in the New Forest National Park.
What could be better during the busy festive season than leaving the to do list at home and escaping to a beautiful winter wonderland where you can enjoy Christmas lights, winter walks through frosty woodlands and afternoons sipping hot chocolate in front of a roaring log fire – and none of it organised by you.
Guests often like to use their time at our New Forest hotel as an opportunity to step away from their digital devices and focus on reconnecting with nature or their loved one.
Detox from the digital
Book a break with the intention of focusing on the present and putting down your phone. Our phones are a huge distraction, their buzzes and beeps stealing our focus all day, every day.
Book a Digital Detox break for stress relief and literally ‘box up’ your phone for a short time to embrace mindful, present experiences. Head to the spa, enjoy hydrotherapy, massage treatments and time beside the swimming pool reading a book.
Sit down to romantic dinners for two, stroll under ancient trees at the Blackwater Arboretum or spend an afternoon exploring local villages without interruption.
Hopefully you’ve found a few things that will help you tackle any Christmas stress and embrace the festive season on your terms. Don’t neglect those rituals that keep you calm, remove things from the festive to do list that only bring you stress, and prioritise sleep and your wellbeing, that way you might just reignite your festive spirit and find enjoyment where you thought you’d lost it.
