Cool cucumbers rock

There are many of us in this world that feel like we are the lady in this picture when it comes to the silly season.  The good news is that we don't have to be the stereo typical rushing/frantic woman of the silly season.  There are many things we can do to calm the nerves, feel well, rested and nourished and slide into this period as cool as a cucumber.  Its just a matter of doing a bit of ground work beforehand to ensure that we are the coolest of cucumbers on Christmas day!

There are many things you can do in the build up to Christmas so that you feel that you are well prepared, but the trick is which ones will benefit you most.  I always find that there are many tips and tricks out there in every magazine/blog post/internet site that I lay my eyes on on how you can enter the festive season feeling calm and collected, but instead of feeling overwhelmed with all the advice you are reading and then not doing any of it, rather concentrate on just one, two or even three things that you feel will make you feel grounded and balanced during this period..  Just those few things will go a long way to making you the coolest of cool cucumbers in town!

I have had to think extra long and hard this Christmas about how i was going to remain stress free since I have just completed a years worth of surgery, chemo and radiation for breast cancer.  I have been doing a lot of reading on this subject and have come up with five things that for me I believe will ensure that I start the silly season feeling stress and worry free.  I hope that even just a few of these points resonate with you and you decide to put them into action.  If you do you will be well on your way to a happy, healthy stress free Christmas and holiday period.

1.  Stock up on the basics and know what you've got

This is a big one for me.  If you take 15mins out of your day to check your grocery cupboards and have some sort of plan in your mind about what you will be eating on Christmas and Boxing Day (even if you don't know exactly what you will be eating) then write those things down and go and do a big grocery shop of the essentials.  This will save you running out of things on Christmas day or having to rush off to the shops at the last minute and run the risk of sitting in heavy traffic or getting unduly stressed out.

2.  Get help with the cooking

There is always someone around that can help you with the cooking.  They don't have to be a trained Master Chef like yourself (haa, haa), but there are many ways that your husband, kids, mother in-law etc etc can help you out by doing little things to make your day easier.  I think we all try to be super hero's on Christmas Day, but remember no one likes a stressed out or frazzled super hero! So have a look at who is around you and what needs doing and DELEGATE!

3.  Take time out for yourself

Once again no one likes stressed out super heros, so ensure that you take time out just for you during this busy period.  You will need extra rest because you will be extra busy and extra tired.  I feel that the number one myth that people think at this time of year is "I just don't have the time!"  You do have the time, you just need to make it a priority.  I'm not saying that you need to go off for a few days on you own or even for a day...just half an hour here or there to attend to your own well being will be worth a couple of days in the long run and you will feel like you can take on the world with a renewed sense of purpose, energy and cool cucumberniss!

4.  Breath

For some of your tip number 4 may read very strange...what do you mean 'breath?'.  The breath is something that i have been focusing a lot on lately and i am astounded as to what is actually going on with my breath most of the time.  If you actually take the time to notice your breath in times of anxiousness or perhaps when you feel you have a busy mind you will notice that your breathing can be pretty shallow and erratic.  This in turn gives our subconscious mind the message that we are stressed out and we go into 'fight or flight' mode.  The toll that this 'flight or fight' mode takes on our bodies is immense.  Take the time to monitor your breathing, you can do it anywhere.  Make sure that you are doing nice deep breaths which cause the diaphragm to move up and down.

5.  Move

Yes...MOVE!  Christmas time can be a time of excess in many people's lives.  Even if you a wellness warrior and you are aware of the benefits of nourishing your body with real food you will still find great benefits in getting out there and going for a walk/run/bicycle ride etc etc.  The list of health benefits that exercise has on your mind, body and soul are endless as I'm sure most of you know.  So get out there and make it a priority especially at this busy time of year.

What are your favourite top tips to ensure your own wellness and  creation of balance at this time of year?

POSITIVE AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY:
I feel well organised and rested today