We Wish You a Merry Calm-ness

It’s that time of year when everything becomes a little crazy. There’s a long present shopping list, functions on every night, a Christmas Day feast to prepare… and parking spots just became even more scarce. Instead of preparing for the Christmas break you might feel a bit like you’re heading for a Christmas breakdown. There’s just so much to do and think about.
The bad news: slowing down time is not yet possible. The good news: it is definitely possible to reduce your stress levels, for a much calmer Christmas build-up. Try these tips from reiki practitioner Trudie McConnochie*:

Take a vitamin B supplement. This nutritional boost will ease your stress and lift your mood. But make sure you take it in the morning, not at night, as it will interfere with your sleep in the evening (which is the last thing you need right now!).
Put a few drops of Rescue Remedy in your water bottle. Rescue Remedy is a blend of five different homeopathic remedies that promise to calm your nervous system, which will help you approach your ‘to do’ list with a greater sense of calm. With homeopathic medicines, it’s not the dosage amount that matters, it’s how often you take the dose that has the most impact, so having a few drops in your drink bottle is an easy way to make sure you keep taking it regularly. Rescue Remedy is sold at chemists and health food stores.
Say ‘no’. For some women, saying no to invitations and requests from people is a really difficult thing to do because we worry we’ll hurt people’s feelings. But when you say ‘yes’ to something that you really don’t have time or energy to do, you are saying ‘no’ to yourself. The more stretched you become, the less time and energy you have to devote to things that really matter – including your kids, your relationship and your own wellbeing. Try offering a compromise, like this: “I can’t come to your barbecue this weekend but let’s pencil in a coffee date in the new year.” Or: “I haven’t got time to help with your Christmas decorations, Mum, but I can help you take them down after Christmas.”
Make time to meditate. Finding 10 minutes in your morning to meditate sounds like a big ask, but when you meditate, you actually create more time in your day because you become more efficient and more focused. That’s the power of meditation on your brain. If you’ve never meditated before, an easy starting point is to download the Headspace app (visit headspace.com ).
Remember what’s important. Do you remember what your Christmas Day table setting looked like five years ago? Neither do your kids. The memories they do keep are of how the day felt (i.e. fun and happy), not how it looked – so don’t stress yourself out by running around town looking for the perfect festive napkins or trawling the internet for the most elaborate recipes. What matters is the love and happiness you bring to the occasion. Try to stay focused on that.

* Trudie McConnochie is a reiki practitioner, Angel Intuitive and Certified Angel Card Reader. She has a practice at Inner West Holistic Health, on the corner of Darling St and Denison St in Rozelle. Visit her website www.onegroundedangel.com for bookings and queries. For a daily hit of inspiration, see Trudie’s angel card of the day on Instagram (@onegroundedangel) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/onegroundedangel).

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