Work

With our ever-growing to-do lists, trying to wrap up work commitments and juggling the Christmas prep, our work life can gradually get on top of us and lead to a build-up of stress. Taking a few deep breaths before we enter the office or using breath-work between tasks to reground, can slow us down internally and help us move through the day with a greater sense of control.

Family

This can be a big one, from organizing kids, to dealing with difficult family members or even facing old wounds, family can often bring about the biggest challenges around the festive period, so it’s important we create a safe haven inside of ourselves for those moments we start to feel triggered. Try using the breath as an anchor when you start to feel yourself getting ‘reactive’ so that you create space between what you think and what you say. You can event try tensing your core in these moments as a physical reminder to ‘come back into your centre’ – don’t put pressure on yourself to speak or say, just bring your awareness inwards and take a few deep breaths by yourself, before you reply or react. If you can start to master your reactions and your emotions, you will learn how to leave any situation with your integrity intact.

Social events 

From social anxiety, pandemic anxiety or political conversation anxiety!..going out and simply having a good time can be more difficult than it should be these days. If you need a time-out, take yourself to the bathroom and come back into your center with a few deep breaths, if you’re struggling with crowds or big groups, just noticing your breath will help bring you back into the present moment, and if politics do arise, just know that you can mindfully breathe your way through the conversation and observe, if you don’t want to get involved.

Finances

It can be a real test to balance the numbers over the holidays, from buying gifts, to attending events, and of course keeping up the investments we have to make in ourselves to stay well, finances can become one of the most fragile factors that can tip us over the emotional edge, so keeping composed is vital. Breath-work can create more space inside of us which can lead to deeper levels of clarity, which can lead to making more conscious choices. If you struggle with spending, try connecting to your breath more mindfully throughout this time; it relaxes the blood flow and gets more oxygen to the brain which will replace your money madness with money wisdom. Creating this space inside will help you think more creatively around spending, whether that’s on yourself, events or others. Keep it calm, keep it composed, keep it conscious.