Five ways of health and wellbeing at Christmas

What can I do to feel better?

Five ways of health and wellbeing this Christmas

The festive period is a time for joy and cheer. It can also be a very stressful period, leading to people feeling overwhelmed. Here are some ways you can take better care of yourself during this festive period.

Be Mindful

Mindfulness is about being aware. When you're being 'mindful', you notice and pay attention to what you're doing, thinking and feeling and what's going on around you. Start by thinking about five things about the space you are in; what are you seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling. As we look ahead to start of a new year, it can be good to reflect. 2020 has been incredibly challenging, but hopefully there are some things that you can be grateful for that happened this year. It could be support from a person, an activity you did or a hobby you found during lockdown.

Connect

Christmas is all about spending quality time with families and friends and although this year we have restrictions, the households we do choose to mix with are important. Our modern world makes it very hard to be truly present, but Christmas is a great time to practice this skill. Don’t spend Christmas getting a ‘buffer face’ watching endless movies, rubbish TV or surfing on Facebook. Disconnect from your screens to reconnect with the people that really matter in your life.

Keep learning

Stuck for Christmas present ideas? Why not learn a new skill? It can not only improve your wellbeing but also make for exciting, personal Christmas presents. Save Santa’s elves a job or two!

Get active

We all know that sluggish feeling we can get after eating too much Christmas dinner (or leftovers on Boxing Day). Try to counter this by doing some gentle exercise; go out for a walk in your local area, try doing some yoga at home or have a dance around the living room to cheesy Christmas tunes! Whatever form of exercise you prefer, try to do at least a little bit of it over Christmas time. You’ll feel much better for it!

Give

Gift-giving for many is an essential part of Christmas. As well as giving gifts, we can also give our time – both to our loved ones and also by volunteering for causes we care about. You could try volunteering, or you could give a donation to a project you feel passionately about. If you are unable to spare the time or money, you can always give a smile or a caring word to someone in need. Giving to others is so good for wellbeing, and it’s important to remember that it needn’t cost lots of money to be generous and make others happy.