Craving “calm”
Craving “calm” as you navigate the festive whirlwind?
The festive season is upon us with all its usual hustle and bustle - Christmas shopping, family expectations, full calendars, and the emotional highs and lows that sneak in. All of this can place extra pressure on your mind and body. It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed or unsettled during this time, especially when the environment around you is louder, busier, and more emotionally charged than usual.
My gift to you this Christmas is 6 coping strategies which you can use over the holiday period to support you in navigating the demands of the season with more calm, clarity, and confidence.
Sipping for sensation
Pausing to sip a warm or ice cold drink brings your attention back into your body. Noticing the temperature, taste, and sensation of drinking gives your mind something simple and comforting to focus on, which helps calm your nervous system so that you can manage the season’s demands with more ease, balance, and confidence
Calming self-hug
Wrap your arms around yourself and give a firm, steady hug — offer your body the same comfort you would give a close friend. Hold the pressure for a few slow breaths - notice the warmth and support of your own embrace. This type of deep pressure can help calm your nervous system, create a sense of safety, and bring you back into your body when emotions start to feel overwhelming.
Try focussing on a single object.
Choose one small item near you — a pen, a piece of jewellery, or even your keys — and pay close attention to its weight, texture, colour, and temperature. Focusing on a single object helps settle a busy mind and reduces emotional intensity, thereby helping you to move through the season feeling steadier, clearer, and a little more in control.
Sensory Reset 5–4–3–2–1
Look around and name five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This steady shift of attention helps draw your mind out of racing thoughts and brings you back into the safety of the present moment, thereby supporting you to face whatever the season brings with increased calm and self-assurance.
Subtle breathing technique
Take slow, deep breaths, making sure your exhale is longer than your inhale (breathe in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 6). This helps lower your heart rate and gently settles your body, supporting you to navigate the demands of this period.
Tap into temperature to ground yourself
Hold something cold — an ice pack, a glass of water, run your wrists under or even splash your face or back of your neck with cold water … or stop for an ice cream. The temperature change gives your nervous system a clear physical cue, helping you to interrupt overwhelm and re-anchor your body so that you can approach the new year with a calmer mind and a clearer perspective.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2026!
The festive season is upon us with all its usual hustle and bustle - Christmas shopping, family expectations, full calendars, and the emotional highs and lows that sneak in. All of this can place extra pressure on your mind and body. It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed or unsettled during this time, especially when the environment around you is louder, busier, and more emotionally charged than usual.
My gift to you this Christmas is 6 coping strategies which you can use over the holiday period to support you in navigating the demands of the season with more calm, clarity, and confidence.
Sipping for sensation
Pausing to sip a warm or ice cold drink brings your attention back into your body. Noticing the temperature, taste, and sensation of drinking gives your mind something simple and comforting to focus on, which helps calm your nervous system so that you can manage the season’s demands with more ease, balance, and confidence
Calming self-hug
Wrap your arms around yourself and give a firm, steady hug — offer your body the same comfort you would give a close friend. Hold the pressure for a few slow breaths - notice the warmth and support of your own embrace. This type of deep pressure can help calm your nervous system, create a sense of safety, and bring you back into your body when emotions start to feel overwhelming.
Try focussing on a single object.
Choose one small item near you — a pen, a piece of jewellery, or even your keys — and pay close attention to its weight, texture, colour, and temperature. Focusing on a single object helps settle a busy mind and reduces emotional intensity, thereby helping you to move through the season feeling steadier, clearer, and a little more in control.
Sensory Reset 5–4–3–2–1
Look around and name five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This steady shift of attention helps draw your mind out of racing thoughts and brings you back into the safety of the present moment, thereby supporting you to face whatever the season brings with increased calm and self-assurance.
Subtle breathing technique
Take slow, deep breaths, making sure your exhale is longer than your inhale (breathe in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 6). This helps lower your heart rate and gently settles your body, supporting you to navigate the demands of this period.
Tap into temperature to ground yourself
Hold something cold — an ice pack, a glass of water, run your wrists under or even splash your face or back of your neck with cold water … or stop for an ice cream. The temperature change gives your nervous system a clear physical cue, helping you to interrupt overwhelm and re-anchor your body so that you can approach the new year with a calmer mind and a clearer perspective.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2026!