Christmas is coming - feeling under pressure and stressed out?
Belinda Freeman looks at ways to cope with the busy festive season.

Christmas is coming. Ho Ho! Time to be merry! But how do you prepare for Christmas? School plays, pantomimes, work parties, balls, social events, shopping, shopping and yet more shopping and of course family engagements. Christmas is a time for fun, but can turn into the most stressful time of the year. Do you experience difficulty sleeping, feel stress out, irritable and sensitive, tense or depressed? Does your digestion playing games with you?

Looking for new ways of coping with stress this Christmas?
1. Make time (before the children get up) each morning to make a list of priorities for the day and over the weeks. Keep a dairy of events and when you need to have presents by and what needs to be done.
2. Do a reality check. What is realistic for you to do? Don't beat yourself up if can't do everything.
3. Be kind to yourself. Think about what you eat and drink and whether it is appropriate in supporting you at this very busy time. How do you want to feel at the beginning of January? Flushed with success from your Christmas celebrations or completely exhausted.
4. Look after your needs. Keep some time for you.

To really reduce stress try and cultivate deep relaxation. It does not have to take long e.g. taking a 10-30 minute sleep or relaxation session during the day to help you cope with late nights, intense activity and as a reward for keeping your ship on course to a wonderful enjoyable Christmas. Relaxation helps you improve coping skills & sleep, reduce pain and muscle tension, ease depression and help with all stress related health issues i.e. high blood pressure, IBS, hormonal imbalance, circulatory problems and immune disorders. By relaxing you can feel; calm and soothed; in control; happy, peaceful; rested; energized; less anxious.

What can you do to help become relaxed?
1. Focus on feeling relaxed and blissful: Relax your muscles and allow your breathing to ebb and flow like waves on a long tropical beach .
2. Visualise yourself somewhere relaxing and peaceful. It can be somewhere you have been or that you would like to be. Imagine the colours, the smells, the feelings.
3. Use Aromatherapy essential oils in a bath or vaporizer : Orange, Pine, Vanilla, Ylang, Ylang , geranium for bath (Make sure you follow instructions for dosage) or Frankincense, cinnamon and orange in a vaporizer for real Christmas spirit.
4. Burn Aromatherapy candles to keep all the family calm e.g. Orange, Lavender, Neroli, Sandlewood.
5. Play calming music; Mozart, Handle, Baroque or Chillout to keep you and the family calm.
6. Have some relaxation treatments e.g. aromatherapy, Massage, Reiki etc.
7. If you have family relationship issues, seek the advice of a psychotherapist or counselor to get appropriate coping strategies and support in place.

Belinda Freeman has over 26 years in stress management, relaxation therapies and psychotherapy. She is the Director of The Relaxtion Centre in Tunbridge Wells. Call 01892 548688 or visit www.relaxation-centre.co.uk