AD GIFTED PRODUCTS // It’s been drilled into our heads ever since we were born that Christmas is the time to, ‘eat, drink and be merry!’ That it’s the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ and ’tis the season to be jolly’. The constant reiteration of the same expectation… The Christmas is a time to be happy, have fun and that nothing can possibly be bad because HEY! IT’S CHRISTMAS! That’s far from true and Christmas wellbeing is incredibly important.
Tell you the truth, the older I’ve got, the more I’ve realised how dangerous these expectations are. We’re constantly bombarded with adverts and photos of the perfect Christmas, with a whole family surrounding a fire, tons of beautifully wrapped gifts under a 8ft tall perfectly decorated tree.
Once again, another unrealistic expectation for the majority of people around the world.
Now this isn’t a hate post about Christmas. Since I started blogging, I’ve actually learnt to enjoy Christmas much more. There was a period throughout my teens when Christmas was awful for me. I’d lost my Nan, my Christmas “routine” had changed, I have no siblings that I could have had fun with and a family which wasn’t close.
I was bombarded with photos of my friends on Facebook having family get togethers whilst I spent my day in my room – alone.
Thankfully Christmas has changed a bit for me since then. My boyfriend lives with us and we all eat dinner together, open our presents and usually play some games. Christmas is still a pretty quiet affair in our house but it’s better than it was. And that’s the main thing.
Even talking about this gets me choked up, for a multitude of reasons and I know that I’m not the only person that finds Christmas a weird and sometimes difficult time. It’s so incredibly important to look after our mental well-being at this time of year – and help other people look after theirs too!
Follow these Christmas wellbeing tips to help you manage your mental health during this time of year:
Unfollow anything that makes you feel down
Like I mentioned at the beginning, constantly seeing a stream of unrealistic Christmas expectations can often leave us feeling absolutely awful. So if you’re online and there’s a particular brand or person or celebrity figure who leaves you feeling deflated from their “perfect” world, one of the EASIEST Christmas wellbeing tips is to simply unfollow them. Curate your feed to have a positive impact on you.
Take a break when you need one
Christmas is go-go-go for a lot of people, we feel like we have so many duties around this time of year from decorating, buying the perfect gifts, cooking the yummiest dinner, being the perfect host (if you’re hosting Christmas for a lot of people). Don’t forget to think about yourself every now and again and if you just can’t bare being in the kitchen anymore, ask someone else to hold the fort whilst you go and have half an hour.
Indulge but take care of yourself
I’d never, ever, ever encourage anyone to go on a diet or watch what they eat at Christmas (I’d never encourage anyone to go on a diet full stop). Eat those chocolates, have an extra Yorkshire pudding, drink that extra glass of wine for one night, whatever! But make sure you’re still taking care of your body, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, getting some exercise and fresh air and just generally not neglecting your physical health too.
Stay organised and on top of things
Staying organised is one of my specialties. I know it doesn’t come easily to everyone but I find that being organised really improves stress levels. To-do lists are your friend, pie charts, diagrams and even staying on top of your own personal thoughts and feelings by journaling each morning or night before bed is a great way to just keep everything in check.
Christmas wellbeing with Funky Pigeon
If you’re looking for gifts which encourage health and well-being for you or a loved one, then Funky Pigeon may be your answer. I kindly received this tote bag of some of their mindfulness and well-being products which would all certain encourage and support you during this incredibly stressful time of year. They have a huge selection of gifts (far bigger than I thought, tbh!) for all different types of people but the mindfulness and well-being products really stood out to me, for the reasons mentioned at the beginning of this post.
Take a break with a cuppa and one of their sweet ‘choconchoc’ white Belgian chocolates. Get stuck in to Fearne Cotton’s, ‘Happy’ and amazing book (which I’ve actually not long read) which is all about finding the joy in every day and letting go of that idea of perfect – very apt for this post!
They have a whole range of lovely, colorful notebooks which will always come in handy for those Christmas lists or even your Christmas thought journal and their Pukka organic products can help encourage a peaceful nights sleep over this stressful, busy period.
They have a whole gorgeous, colorful range which will help promote and prompt positivity and increased mental well-being. Not just during Christmas, any time of year! But these would certainly make lovely gifts for anyone you know who might be going through a tough time this Christmas, to let them know you’re thinking of them.
I’ve said time and time again on this blog that I think personalised gifts are the way to go and Funky Pigeon also have a gorgeous range of personalised baubles, which would also make a lovely sentimental addition to your loved ones stocking.
What Christmas wellbeing tips would you add to this list? How do you look after your wellbeing around Christmas?
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it really is so hard during the holidays to take time for yourself!
It really is. We’re only 5 days into December and I’m shattered haha!
This is a lovely post and a great reminder that not everyone’s Christmases are perfect and we’re not alone in that. Thank you for spreading some positivity💓
Love,
Soph xx
– http://www.sophie-elise.co.uk
Thanks so much 😌
The most memorable and fun Christmasses are the ones that go wrong.
I don’t think I’d agree with that, they can go wrong in really bad ways sometime. Memorable yes but sometimes not in the right way.
This is so important and you have included some great tips here.
http://littlemissmelanie.com
Thank you 😌
I love this post because not everyone has a good christmas, sometimes christmas is full of bad memories for people and mental health goes downwards. I know I get so stressed out around this time of the year with deadlines but also wanting to spend time with family and trying to balance the two. Relaxing and looking after yourself is a must. I agree about unfollowing people if their content gets you down, there is nothing wrong with that at all! I love personalised gifts too!! xx
https://lifeofshar.co.uk/
I’m sorry to hear it’s a stressful time for you but I think it’s super important not to force the “happiness” around Christmas upon people because like you said, you really don’t know what they’re going through!
Last year I cried for most of Christmas. This year I hope will be different. I’ll be taking these tips on board to try to help myself as much as possible.
I’m sorry to hear that, I hope this helps.
Curating my feed to what makes me happy was the best thing I ever did on Twitter – it made such a positive difference to my mental health. I also very liberally use the mute function haha.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the festive rush and forget to take time for yourself. Also that tea/supplement look fab, I think I need to investigate them. I struggle to sleep in winter.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Oh I’ve used the mute button SO much this year and it’s been absolutely delightful!
There’s some really great and useful tips here, thanks for sharing x
Thank you 🙂
I really love your tips babe, I’ve been feeling so low lately that this blog post has really helped me. I really need to pick up Fearn’s book! 💜✨
With love, Alisha Valerie x
So glad it’s helped! Fearne’s book is fab x
I love this post! So excited for Christmas
Thank you
I have fond memories of Christmas growing up. Everyone always came to us & we’d have the big family dinner & tea and on Boxing Day, it was the same. I enjoyed every minute of it. I can appreciate why Christmas is not an enjoyable time for a lot of people though. 🙂
Sarah x
http://boxnip.co.uk
That sounds lovely 😊
I need to relax as been so ill with the flu xx
Oh no! Sorry to hear that!
towards the end of the year, I need to really step back and chill out, get myself ready for the next year, and take care of myself.this post was a much needed reminder for that!
I hope you manage to do that this year 🙂
It’s so easy to let things get out of control during the holidays. This is a great reminder to keep us on the right track!
It really is. Thank you!
Christmas used to be a rough time for. Both my husband and I have not the best parents, and family get together always ended in tears. Since having our own children we have really swapped the way we do things. The holidays are now calm and really lovely. We spend time with his step mom, just us, her, and our girls. I love these products you mentioned! I’ll look into them! ❤️
Merry Christmas, Jenny.
Awh I’m so glad to hear you’ve got a nice, calm and supportive system now 🙂
Christmas is such an opportune time of year! I love how you emphasize making it work to our benefit instead of letting it be a joyless season. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
This was a nice post to read. Christmas can be so different r for everyone, I’m glad you have found your way of enjoying and being happy during the Christmas period. Love all these bits right up my street xo
Pinar | http://www.beautybakingbella.com
Thank you 🙂
This is such a great post for this time of year, self care is SO important and it can get lost in the excitement of Christmas! ♥︎
It really is!
I definitely agree with this… it’s so important to look after ourselves (and our families) at Christmas time… it’s about so much more than presents and food/drink/parties etc! 😀
Ooh and I love the look of those products from funky pigeon 😍
But the food is super good though! 😉
Although I don’t celebrate christmas I totally get what you mean, it’s strange that such a happy time can also be a bit of a downer but your tips are super helpful – especially the unfollow option, I’ve had to do that over the years and it honestly does wonders. Thanks for sharing Jenny x
It really does work doesn’t it! 🙂
I think my mental health gets better because I love Christmas so much that I become a lot happier and cheerful. However, I do feel more stressed when it comes to Christmas shoppimg especially this year as I have few ideas on what to get people for Christmas. That hasn’t been the best for my mental health but everything else about Christmas has made me smile a lot more.
I also agree that Christmas isn’t perfect. We are fortunate to be able to have a Christmas compared to so many others who don’t and because of that we shouldn’t make Christmas seem perfect. It can be perfect to us in our own ways but it’s not perfect for everyone.
Totally agree 🙂
Such an important post! Thanks for sharing! 😊
https://jendbibliophile.wordpress.com
Thank you 🙂
This post has such an important message. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad you think so!
I do really love Christmas as it’s the only time of year that my family all get together at once! But with this comes so the pressure I actually put on my self with gift giving, even though I love it I just go overboard which I’m trying to cut back on this year! X
I can sometimes go a bit overboard too, tbh!
Going to be really honest, I’m not a fan of Christmas. I hate the pressure, I hate the intense planning. I have a small family and we’re not that close so the whole thing doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. These tips are really useful. My Christmas self care method usually involves filling another glass and pretending the other people in the room aren’t there. That method usually does not work. Hibernating in the kitchen all day is a blessing x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
I used to hate Christmas too, I don’t have a particularly close family either. It’s important to just take from it what you need and leave what you don’t. If that means spending Christmas Day blogging, so be it!
So many good tips on this post. Agree that Christmas can often be hyped to much and a lot of people promote the perfect Christmas. I think if we look after ourselves and stay away from anything that makes us look at it negatively it is a great time of year!
Totally agree 🙂
you are so right it is so important to take care of yourself during the christmas holidays or you’ll be run down and warn out.
JOY at http://www.thejoyousliving.com
Totally 🙂
I really enjoyed this post, it’s so different from all the usual Christmas posts and really focuses on the one thing we tend to forget around the festive season- ourselves. It’s definitely reminded me to take better care of myself during the Christmas period and still enjoy myself. Thank you for sharing! 😊 X
Thank you! I’m so glad 🙂 x
I can totally relate to the part about losing your Nan. Same thing happened to me one Christmas and the holidays haven’t been the same since to be honest. I agree also with unfollowing things that get you down!
I’m so sorry to hear that. Christmas is usually the time when I think about her most because she was always at my house.
I am really sorry about your loved ones, but these are great tips, just keeping the right mindset will go a long way.
LOVE ALWAYS,
K A R E N . http://WWW.THRIVINGAVENUE.COM
Thank you 🙂
This is an excellent post. Besides being well-written, you nail so many things on the head. I have felt similarly about the image of Christmas changing and evolving from a perfect image to a less-than-ideal day, since expectations were set a little too high. When my siblings moved to far away cities and countries and started their own new traditions with their families, it was a hard transition. My husband’s family, too, is quiet, small, and awkward. So I’ve learned to do what I can and take care of myself and go into the holiday knowing that it doesn’t have to be—and won’t be—perfect.
Thanks for sharing.
sunshinewithsavannah.com
Absolutely! Knowing that it WON’T be perfect (because nothing is) is a good place to start 🙂
I feel like the expectation to be spend time together with loved ones and be “together” as a family can be really disheartening or damaging to those of us who enjoy being alone or have complicated relationships with family. There’s this horrible stigma against being alone or “introverting” for the holidays, but I find that I tend to enjoy the holidays the best when I don’t have to force myself to be social and fake being happy around other people!
Thanks for the insightful post and being mindful about how complicated the holidays are!
Forcing yourself to do anything any time of year is a sure fire way to hate it and end up resenting people!
As someone whose family isn’t one I’d ever seek “togetherness” with voluntarily, we typically travel. It has to be a really low-key affair as I didn’t have a salary for three months because of leave to deal with a family situation that was unpaid and sucked up my vacation, but we’ll still do something, at least, for a few days to keep my Partner’s and my tradition.
I’d love to travel for Christmas, even if it is only a small trip 😌
These are brilliant tips! Whilst I do love Christmas, it’s never 100% easy for a number of reasons so I definitely try to take some time out and look after myself too. It can be such a stressful time of year so self care is incredibly important, there’s just so much pressure around Christmas and it being ‘perfect’ now when for a lot of people it’s really not as simple as that. Lovely post xxx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
It really isn’t, I don’t think Pinterest helps!
It’s so important to look after yourself at Christmas, it can be such a difficult time for some!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
It really can, there’s so much pressure too!
I find Christmas can be a bit daunting sometimes, I often feel guilty if I’m not feeling happy and excited because that’s how everything and everyone tells us to be around this time of the year. I like to stay organised and on top of things otherwise I get super stressed, I’ll have a list of who I’m buying presents for and what I’m buying and it just really helps me stay calm!
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
I totally understand that. I feel like that around Summer because everyone and everything says you should be happy that it’s hot and sunny and spending time outside but Summer makes me miserable and I see everyone else loving it and it’s a bit meh… Christmas is very much the same!
Self care is definitely so important, especially at this stressful time of the year x
http://www.ofbeautyandnothingness.co.uk
Definitely agree x
Yes, I agree completely. A few years ago my mom, my sister and I came to the conclusion that it is absolutely fine to just have a nice quiet evening and spend time with each other. Before we always had these huge Christmas days with the extended family and it was always so stressful and not very enjoyable at all! Everything had to be perfect or there would be a fight or something. I was always burned out and tired after that. I enjoy our little cozy Christmas now much more!
Lovely post! And yes, Christmas especially is a time one should look after themselves. 💙
Ugh that sounds awful but I’m so glad you’ve found a peaceful alternative now 😌
I am going to be much more mindful this Christmas. I usually splash out and then forget about the affects it’s going to have. I want to feel good on the inside! For advent, instead of opening a calendar, I’m going to send a nice message to someone and spread a little love ❤ x
That’s a lovely idea 🙂 My Mum has already bought my boyfriend and I a chocolate calendar each but only a cheap one so I definitely have room to do something else too!
I hear you on the overload of the mythical ‘perfect’ Christmas. I just aim to eat a bit nicer and watch strongest man, that’s me sorted x
Sounds good to me! 🙂
Christmass is not about being perfect it’s about family time. You don’t need anything special or over the top just a board game or two, some family and a Sunday roast.
I agree, that’s what I was getting at 😌