Christmas time can be fun and exciting but it can also be a giant Santa sack of stress! Not only are you trying to get the PERFECT presents for the kids but you're juggling family pressures, the overbearing mother-in-law, not to mention the credit card bills.  So what can you do to keep your stress levels down this silly season without turning to the bottle?

Here are my top 5 tips 

1. Breathe

But what kind of tip is this I can hear you saying 'I breathe all day long'. Yes but are you breathing in short panicked breaths or are you consciously taking in long deep breaths? In my experience I tend to hold my breath when I'm stressed and the weird thing is I don't even know I'm doing it! Making the conscious effort to stop what you are doing and take 10 long deep breaths several times throughout the day will help immensely. This can help reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, improve immunity, relieve pain and more.

People pleaser

2. Stop being a people pleaser

We can't make everyone happy all of the time. And when you think about it, we can't actually make anyone do or feel anything. We can only take responsibility for ourselves and how we react to things. So with that in mind, instead of trying to making everyone else happy why don't you write a list of things that make you happy instead. It could be to spend more time in nature, treating yourself to a meal where you don't have to cook or do the cleaning up, getting a massage, a mani pedi or just sitting in silence. Things won't collapse if you're not there to do everything. In fact, people might learn to do things for themselves.

3. Perfection is not real

We all strive for the perfect body, perfect home, perfect Christmas dinner. But what is perfect? There will always be someone with a better body, a bigger home and a fancier festive feast. This Christmas it's time to stop comparing ourselves to others and this so called 'perfection' and just be you! Ok so you might not have the abs or tight buns, but you might be strong and healthy, you might not have the biggest home, but it might warm and inviting, you might not have the best culinary skills but there's still Uber eats! Christmas is a great time to remember the things that we are happy about and grateful for.

Woman breathing deeply during meditation

4. Meditation

Before you get your knickers in a twist and complain that meditation isn't for you hear me out. You don't have to be a Zen Master to enjoy meditation. Even if you do it for 5 minutes a day you will still feel the benefits of it. There are loads of meditation apps, Headspace is a good place to start or even Youtube. If you struggle with quietening down that monkey brain chatter you could try a guided meditation. If your house is too noisey you could use headphones, better yet, get out into nature and ground while you relax. There are breathing meditations, walking meditations, mediation groups or courses. I've been meditating for over 30 years and I know first hand how beneficial it is. Trust me, it's worth a try.

5. Use crystals

Crystals are amazing gifts from nature. They can help calm our nerves and destress our minds and bodies. I like to work with Citrine to bring in the power of the sun and change my stressful state into a more optimistic state. Howlite is great for encouraging calm communication and getting rid of rage. Amethyst is great for relieving anxiety and stress. While Rose Quartz is my go to for calming me and bringing in a sense of peace. I like to programme my crystals with a specific goal in mind ie "Together we will help me relieve anxiety" and then I either carry the crystal with me on my wrist or in my pocket or meditate with it daily. You can even put it under your pillow at night to help you have a peaceful sleep.