STAYING STRONG OVER CHRISTMAS #AD

Christmas time is one of the most anticipated dates in the calendar, however it is also well known to be one of the most stressful. Whether you are feeling the pressure of hosting friends and family to your home, cooking the perfect Christmas dinner, wearing that perfect Christmas party outfit, buying the best presents and of course being able to afford all of it, we should take time to try and reduce this stress in our lives. The stress that we have to put up with however is nothing on Santa, I mean getting around to all of those houses in one night whilst having to eat every mince pie on offer and trying to keep the buckle on his belt intact! Watch the video below to see how Santa completes his Santa’s Boot Camp and has a unique way on handling the stress. A little spoiler alert, it may also include a cute French bulldog licking Santa’s ear!

As a family we have done secret Santa for a few years now, so we don’t have to spend a fortune buying each other presents, instead we just buy one of us a present they really want. It is a great way for family’s to reduce the stress levels related to buying perfect gifts and of course the financial aspect.

However, about a week ago I was at my parent’s house with my Brother and Sister drawing names for this years Secret Santa. There is one name that no one wants to draw and that is my Dad, as he doesn’t give any hints or tips on what he wants for Christmas and just says, “It’s okay, I don’t really want anything” and then he’ll say “just no Simpsons socks”! That is all the information you have to work on when buying for my annoying Dad! But if he is reading this, he is actually awesome and not too annoying.

Whether you have drawn your Dad in Secret Santa or even worse and you are doing secret Santa at work and drew your boss, it is important to stay positive and have a strong, positive attitude. There are so many common struggles that we all face in the lead up to Christmas day and some are more prevalent to certain people. For example having the perfect Christmas tree is important to so many people…to me, as you can see it is just important to have one.

Of course I don’t have all the answers on how to deal with stress but I do know how I personally manage to stay strong and positive when faced with my biggest strain, which as mentioned is buying the perfect presents.

The biggest stress factor for me is time management and it is a struggle to juggle time to buy presents in-between my everyday live, hectic social schedule and looking after my dog Charlie. So when I do shop, I make sure that I’m prepared and here are my tips:

·      Start the day off right, for example with a hearty breakfast

·      Create a Christmas present list.

·      Where possible, try to have an idea of what you will buy each person on your list.

·      Shop online to find the best deals.

·      If you prefer shopping in store, visit a shopping centre and do all your shopping in one go.

·      Plan out exactly what shops you need to go to and stick to it.

Yes it seems simple but everyone does things differently and it would be great if you too could share your stay strong stories this Christmas as well because you might just help others have a more enjoyable festive season.

Just remember it could be worse, you could only have one eye like my poor snowman L

This post is brought to you in association with Actimel. Actimel contains Vitamin B6 that contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It also contains Vitamins B6 & D that contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

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