5 Ways to Have a Relaxing Christmas Holiday

** This blog has been updated for Christmas 2020

The Christmas holidays are probably the least relaxing out of all the ones throughout the year. The last minute gift shopping, Christmas Day planning, multiple food shopping trips to make sure you have enough to sustain a village for a week, and the never ending writing of Christmas cards can pile on the pressure! It is a lovely holiday, but it can be stressful.

Here are some ideas to keep the festive stress at bay and help you make the most of your Christmas holiday:

1) Make Your Wellbeing a Priority

Take time to consider what you’re going to do to improve your wellbeing. Would you like to eat healthier, start exercising, or sleep better, or all three?!

The food we eat can affect us both mentally and physically. Eating the right foods regularly can help to improve our moods and give us more energy. Skipping meals and eating a poorly balanced diet are likely to make you feel lethargic and low. It's inevitable you won't have the healthiest diet over Christmas but try to limit the overindulgences to prevent your from feeling too sorry for yourself in January. 

Exercise will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your wellbeing. Being active lowers the rates of depression and anxiety and generally makes us feel better about ourselves. You don't have to have an expensive gym membership to build activity into your life, over the Christmas break why not take a short walk each day? You can also try exercising from the comfort of your home with our ultimate home workout guide. 

There is a close relationship with sleep and mental health. Tiredness and sleep deprivation can cause several issues including stress, low self-esteem and difficulty coping with daily life. The school holidays are the perfect opportunity to get into better sleep patterns which you can carry with you into the New Year. For advice on how to improve your sleep read our tips to get more sleep. 

2) Get Outside

It may be winter but being outside, but getting outside in the fresh air is great for you mentally and physically, so wrap up warm and venture into the cold for a walk or run. A countryside walk is a great remedy for Christmas over indulgence or take a break from the in laws! Here is the science behind why spending time outdoors is good for you in case you need any more convincing!

3) Try Meditation

This is a challenging one as meditation can take a while to get the hang of, however, many studies show how beneficial meditation can be for our minds and body so it's worth investing some time to give it a proper go. 

Here is a great video to help you get started.

4) Look Ahead

Don’t be tempted to take on too many New Year’s resolutions. Keep it simple, specific and focus on one or two things you want to do, whether it’s learning a new language or trying a new experience like horse riding.

Research has shown that habits can take anywhere between 2 – 9 months to form depending on their complexity, so achieving your New Year's Resolution is certainly not always easy. Here are Kent-Teach's 5 tips to help you form a new habit which you can apply to your "New Year, New Me" plans but can also help you tackle any lifestyle changes you wish to make at any time of the year.

5) Rest and Recuperate

This is the most important way you can have a productive holiday. After all it is your break from the hectic daily school routine, so take some time to veg out and do nothing and don't feel guilty about it, it is important to have some downtime. Catch up on sleep, binge-watch some TV series or simply spend time with your family, whatever takes your fancy.

Let us know how you get on!

When was the last time you put yourself first before others? Or when you prioritised your own wellbeing and self-care. If you are reading this and struggling to recollect a recent moment where you did something (no matter how big or small) to improve your wellbeing, then today is the day where you can begin to make that change in your life.