Creating Space For Christmas

The festive season is well and truly upon us, love it or hate it (or maybe somewhere in the middle) it will be impacting you in some way. This time of year, there can be more to fit in, more social gatherings, buying presents, getting work done before the office is closed and just more logistics and planning to keep in mind. For this reason, it’s important to think about how you can create some brain space, space to manage the demands this time of year brings and space to enjoy your favourite things about it. We are going to talk you through a couple of approaches to help you create some space for Christmas.

The first step to managing the seemingly never-ending tasks is the simple but effective “to do list”. Start by downloading your brain, what’s on your mind? What are the tasks? If you are worried about anything, write that down too. The key to an effective to do list is attaching a plan of how to get these done. Research by Masicampo and Baumeister (2011) found that by making a plan of how to achieve a goal, we not only have a better chance of achieving it but we also free up much needed cognitive resource, which we all need this time of year! Take a moment to think about what your priorities are. What can wait until the new year? If there are tasks that are non-urgent, give yourself permission to park them until the new year. Write them down and agree with yourself you will come back to them. This can release some pressure and allow you to focus on more pressing tasks.

When there's too much to do we start to feel overwhelmed and we are less likely to ask for help. Our brains come up with all sorts of reasons as to why we shouldn't ask for help, “people will think I can’t cope”, “I don’t want to be a burden”, “people are too busy” - but these are just thoughts, we don't have to listen to them. One of the techniques we often use in therapy is to use the phrase, "what would you say to a friend?" This gives us some perspective, as we often give great advice to others and are much more compassionate. When you notice barriers to asking for support pause and ask yourself, what would I say to a friend? Can you delegate any of the tasks on your list?

When there’s too much to do our brain often tells us to push through and work harder – this is not always helpful and is definitely not sustainable. If you notice your brain telling you this, make time for some self-care. Self-care may look different over the festive season, you might not have access to your usual go to strategies, have a think about what you can still do and how you can make time for this. It could be making sure you have moments of self-care throughout the day, start with 5 minutes to do something calming – read a few pages of a book, go outside, have a warm drink, take a deep breath. It’s amazing what a few moments of calm can do for us when done consistently. When you are taking moments to rest, where is your mind? If you are still running through your jobs list or have a head full of worries, it is not true rest. Try and be fully present. Allow yourself time to park your to do list and worries and be fully present in your chosen self-care activity.

It's easy to let the pressure build up this time of year, think about what’s important to you and create space to enjoy it. Over the festive season ask yourself these core questions:

·       Are there any tasks I can park until the new year?

·       What moments of self-care can I prioritise?

·       Is there anything getting in the way of me asking for help?

Written by Steph