How to stay present over the holiday season
The joy we feel when we think of Christmas can sometimes be overshadowed by the stress of the holiday period. As one of the busiest times of the year, the lead up to Christmas can be filled with tasks and to-do lists to make sure everything is ready and prepared for the holiday season. Oftentimes, we can be so preoccupied making sure everything is perfect, that we forget to look after ourselves in the process, leading to heightened levels of stress.
In small doses, stress can be helpful in motivating us to get things done. However, prolonged exposure to stress can become a barrier by affecting our ability to perform tasks effectively.
Stress may manifest itself both mentally and physically. In its physical form, we may recognise stress as tension in the body, experience shallow breathing, and generally feel quite fatigued. Mentally, stress can show up in the form of unhelpful thoughts and worries, difficulty concentrating and feeling irritable or on edge.
Recognising stressors
To help recognise and understand what your stressors are, consider the following questions:
What was was happening when you were feeling stressed? Describe the details of the situation, such as where you were, who you were with, or what you were doing.
On a scale of 1 (not stressful at all) to 10 (extremely stressful), how stressful was the situation?
What thoughts were you having about this situation? Did you recognise any unhelpful thoughts or worries?
Where did you feel the stress? Did you notice any tension in the body, such as the shoulders or jaw, or did you notice feeling irritable or finding it hard to concentrate?
Adopting this curious attitude towards your experience draws on the skill of mindfulness. When we recognise what contributes to our levels of stress in these situations, we are in a better position to support our mental health and wellbeing when stressful situations arise.
Staying present with mindfulness
“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”
We can connect with the present moment through mindfulness practice, which can be either formal or informal. Research supports the countless benefits of mindfulness, including reduced levels of anxiety and depression (1), improved emotion regulation (2), and a sense of calm and relaxation (3).
A formal mindfulness practice involves focussing your attention on one thing and bringing your attention back whenever it wanders. An example of this is focusing on your breathing for a set amount of time.
An informal mindfulness practice includes bringing your attention to whatever task you are doing, whether it be brushing your teeth, baking a cake or talking to a friend.
Both formal and informal practice are based on the same principle of paying attention to the present moment, exactly as it is.
Bring mindfulness into your holiday season
Here are some simple tips to help bring mindfulness into your holiday season:
Breathing: When we’re stressed our breathing can become shallow. Try and bring your attention to your breathing throughout the day. Breathe deep into your belly, and exhale slowly. A useful strategy is to breathe in to the count of 4, hold for 2, and breathe out for 6.
Grounding: When you feel caught up in the stress of the moment, a grounding exercise can help you come back into the present moment. To do this, focus on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. By engaging our senses in this way we can ground ourselves into the present moment.
Practicing: As with any skill, the more we practice mindfulness the more we can benefit from it. Start by giving yourself 5 to 10 minutes per day to practice mindfulness, whether it’s formal or informal. When practicing, remember that it is normal for the mind to wander. It is the process of bringing our attention back that builds this skill.
I wish you all happy and mindful holidays!
Anna Ferenc
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Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical psychology review, 31(6), 1041-1056.
Roemer, L., Williston, S.K., & Rollins, L.G. (2015). Mindfulness and emotion regulation. Current Opinion in Psychology, 3, 52-57.
Lancaster, S., Klein, L., & Knightly, K. (2016). Mindfulness and relaxation: a comparison of brief, laboratory-based interventions. Mindfulness, 7(3), 614–621.