Healthy(ish): Your Helpful Guide On How Not To Lose The Plot This Christmas

I love Christmas, I really do. But every year, without fail, I get to a point where I feel I need to hide under my bed and not come out until the New Year. School plays, decorations, Christmas jumper day, presents for family/teachers/kids’ friends/godchildren, food, more food, more booze, Christmas cards, wreaths, parties, outfits for parties, carol services, new Christmas lights (again)… I feel panicky just thinking about it. Add to that employers wanting to ‘tie everything up before Christmas’ plus the fact that, on 24 December, you’re thrown in a room with relatives who can bring your blood to boiling point in 10 seconds - and you have a monumental meltdown on your hands. So what to do? This year, having spoken to the experts, I’m going to be channelling my inner Om. Here’s how.

1. Remember: life’s not a John Lewis ad

You know those scenes in films, where snow is falling outside, everyone is sitting around a fireplace, sipping champagne, unwrapping presents and laughing in Christmas jumpers? Well, that’s not real life. 'Don’t be hooked on the Hollywood movie or the idea that everyone is having an amazing time with their families – they aren’t,' says life coach Jacqueline Hurst. 'We are all human and every family has its ups and downs.' Perfection does not exist.

2. Plan ahead

Personally, I find buying the turkey on Christmas Eve and wrapping presents at 2am on Christmas morning quite stressful (been there many times). If you excel under last minute pressure then great, but I find (especially if you’re hosting Christmas) it’s essential to plan ahead. Top psychologist Elaine Slater advises you make lists of things to do for Christmas as early as possible. Make sure you have one for gift buying, one for food shopping, one for social stuff and so on. 'Don’t jumble it all onto one list,' she says, 'or else it becomes a tsunami of stress.' She also advises handwriting the lists. 'There is something about the flow to the paper that removes it all from your brain.'

3. Let the ‘button pushers’ wash over you

Slater recommends accepting that there will be family tensions and, instead of letting them trigger you, allow them to wash over you. 'You can’t change that person, but you can change how you react to them,' she says. 'Make a pact with yourself beforehand that it’s their problem and you are not going to buy into it.' Even if they do tell you that you’ve put on weight this year.

4. Don’t abandon healthy habits

If you pile a million things on your plate and you don’t look after yourself you’re not going to handle stress well explains Slater. She suggests keeping up with a bit of exercise (even if your parents tell you to have another drink), drinking plenty of water and practising diaphragmatic breathing when things get too much.

5. Let it go

You may feel that having that hand-woven angel for the top of the tree or making your own mince pies will make or break Christmas, but, says Hurst, it won’t. 'Remember that you are an adult and you can and must take responsibility for yourself. You are not superhuman, so learn to say no or delegate,' she says. Christmas is also about relaxing. 'If you eat all the chocolate, so what,' she says. 'Let yourself go and nothing bad is going to happen.'

Finally get things into perspective. Hurst says: 'What doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done.' Cheers everyone.

SHOP: The How-To-Stay-Sane Christmas Kit