Six ways to beat seasonal stress this holiday.

As fun as the silly season is, it can also be stressful for many people. To help you along, we have gathered some great tips from some of the leading experts in Mental Health to help you out.

1. Think before you commit yourself.
We can often perform tasks merely to feel accepted by other people; there is no better example of this than the holiday period, when we try to squeeze everything into our diaries. Practice saying ‘no’ to requests that are unreasonable or more than you can handle at the time, rather than suffer subsequent regrets and stress.

2. Practice meditation.
Here’s an easy one! Imagine air as a cloud. Open your imagination and focus on your breathing. As your breathing becomes calm and regular, imagine that the air comes to you as a cloud: it fills you and goes out. You may imagine the cloud to be a particular colour.

3. Set aside time each day for recreation and exercise.
Gentle repetitive exercise such as walking, swimming and cycling are good for relieving stress. Meditation, yoga, pilates and dance are also excellent. The trick is to find what suits you best. Hobbies that focus attention are also good stress relievers and can give you a sense of achievement and satisfaction.

4. Watch your alcohol intake.
It’s easy to get caught up in festive activities, and sometimes a drink or two can feel like a solution to a problem, but it will only help temporarily. Drinking can create more problems in terms of physical and mental health. Consider the effects you are looking for (sedation and stimulation) and whether or not you can achieve them differently.

5. Perform small acts of kindness.
Performing five kind acts a week creates a measurable boost to levels of psychological wellbeing. Giving not only makes you feel good about yourself, it enhances your connection with others and can bring you positive feedback from others.

6. Don’t do it alone.
For some of us Christmas can be an overwhelming time and sometimes isolating, but we don’t have to do it alone. If times get tough, pick up the phone and talk to someone you trust.