The presents have been opened, the dinners have been devoured and most of us who celebrate Christmas are now in a cheese, fizz and chocolate stupor, whilst board games are played and any sense of time dissipates into thin air.
What day is it? What time is it? You push the anxiety of looming deadlines and work and reach for another handful of crisps and call for another round of Bailey’s.
I often struggle with this time when there’s no structure to the day and you feel like your drifting through a festive time warp. So here are a few little ideas you can put in place to help cope with this time of year.
1. Set a regular bed time and wake up time.
As soon as I lose structure over a few days, insomnia creeps in. Most of the time, losing your usual routine can have a knock on effect on the rest of your routine. Try and limit how long you spend on your phone as blue light will disrupt your night routine. Another useful tip is to try and stick to a set bedtime and set your alarm. By all means have a lie in, but try not to stray too far from it and be waking up at lunch time! Why not treat yourself to a relaxing hot bath? It is such a good way to put a full stop to the end of the day, take some time for yourself and warm up ready to snuggle into bed!
2. Support small businesses.
Switch the telly on and you’ll soon be bombarded by sales and discounts. But whilst the high street has been struggling due to COVID, spare a thought for independent businesses, whether that’s stopping off for a coffee at your independent coffee shop, buying a treat for yourself from a boutique or joining a yoga class to help with the stress of the build up to New Year. Not only does this help your local small businesses, but it also means that you are supporting fantastic people in your area and it increases that feel good factor of the year. Plus you won’t feel as guilty for getting a wee treat for yourself.
3. Get outside!
It is easy to fall into the trap of staying indoors in the warm with all of the fairy lights on and snacks close at hand. But sooner or later, cabin fever will set in. Go for a walk, get into nature. This will blow the cobwebs away and will put everything back into perspective. Look at the bare limbs of trees, the quiet cheeps of birds and the rustle of holly and ivy in the woodland verges. Signs of spring won’t be far away, look out for the first signs; snowdrops, catkins, swollen buds. Rest assured, whilst everything seems up in the air; covid restrictions, family gatherings, getting a bargain etc. What matters is your health and happiness and that of the ones you love.
fox-glove-and-bee.com 