My only tips are to plan ahead, be organised, do your Supermarket shop either first thing in the morning or the end of the day, if you possibly can, because, honestly, those crowds at Pak n Save stress me out more than anything else at Christmas time!! Get the kids in bed at a reasonable time so you have some quiet time each night to get stuff done, or sit down with a wine. However, once Christmas Day is over, seriously, RELAAAAAX. Going away camping? Plan ahead, what cooking/preparing do you need to do? A bit of organisation goes a long way. Write it all down so it’s out of your head, prioritise and get it done. Then do some serious relaxing once you are there.
Take care of yourself, just as much as you do everyone else. So important it's mentioned
twice on my list!
Sleep. I know, not always easy, with crazy schedules, kids that are way out of routine, visitors,
travel etc. It can cause so much disruption to your sleep, and in turn, to your sanity!! Wherever you can, stick to a good night's sleep, your body and mind will thank you for it.
Perform an act of kindness, with no expectation of reward or recognition. Christmas is a hard
time of year for so many people, emotionally and financially. Do something kind for someone else, anonymously if you like. Donate to Food Bank, donate to Shoe Box Christmas, look after someone’s kids so the parents can get their Christmas preparation/shopping done, bake for the neighbour, or invite them to your Christmas Day lunch if they have no one. Anything. A little kindness doesn’t have to cost anything, and it will brighten someone’s festive spirit, and your own as well.
Keep moving!! For some of us, staying active over the Christmas/New Year period is
easy. The warmer, finer (usually) weather is sometimes all we need to get outside and get moving. For some of us… not so much. The call of socialising or relaxing is just too great. Me, I don’t have much of a life! I’ve always found this time of year perfect for long solo walks, later at night, once the kids are in bed. But if you have friends to hang out with, why not drag them out, too? It doesn’t have to be a huge, strenuous outing, even a 30 minute stroll after dinner, it’s still more exercise than you would get sitting around the cold BBQ, right? Play with the kids after dinner, when it’s not so hot. Get out on that Playground!! Or get out with friends and try something together that you’ve both never done, which brings me to point 2 -
Try a new sport or activity. My goal for this summer is to try
Stand Up Paddleboarding. I wanted to last year, but my shoulder was injured, and didn’t make for a very fun summer. So this year I am determined to have a go. I’ve already tried one new thing, I have gotten into swimming!! I only get out once a week, and always indoors, but once I got over my irrational fear that everyone would run for the exit when I bared my body in togs, I found I LOVE it, and it doesn’t hurt my back like long walks do. I may have found the perfect exercise. I’ve been going with a friend, and while we don’t really stop to chat during our swim, we have something to talk about and cheer each other on, and compare notes after. Trying something new is fun! And it makes for something new and interesting to talk about when you are hanging with family and friends.
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