The festive season is just one time of the year where stress tends to build up. Organising a family get together, thinking of gift ideas and the biggest food shop of the year can build up to a stressful burden which, when not dealt with, can lead to irritability, muscle tension and sleepless nights! Nobody needs that around Christmas...

Reducing stress is one area within health and fitness which often gets forgotten about, in many cases due to the difficulty of dealing with one’s stress and the sensitivity of the subject. There are ways to deal with this tension that don’t involve necking a bottle of wine or forking out money on a counsellor whenever your stress hormones hit the roof.

Get social
Communication is a big part of stress management. Developing friendships with people whom you can confide in and talk to regularly reduces the build up of stress and can aid in one’s ability to deal with emotional strain. Laughing is a natural social stress reliever and can help us to relax, even for a short time. When you feel pressure building, find your funny friend or hit up a comedy night!

Develop your sleep routine
Sleep is vital for many reasons, including the regulation of our all-important hormones, as well as allowing the body to recover from any physical or mental activity it has been put through during the day. Controlling your sleep routine is vital in this, as it will help your body to begin its sleep cycle more efficiently. Try to reduce technology use in the hour before bed, note down all the tasks you have for the next day, consider de-cluttering your bedroom and reduce your caffeine intake in the 5-6 hours before sleep.

Exercise
Although exercise often acutely raises our stress level (in a good way!) it has extremely beneficial longer-term effects on stress and our ability to deal with it. Exercise can help rewire our neural pathways, increasing happy hormones and reducing anxiety and even depression. No one particular exercise is best at this – it’s a case of finding the exercise that you enjoy and find the most beneficial. Meditation exercises such as yoga and Thai chi help reduce stress through relaxation and controlled movement, so adding a pre-bed yoga stretch into your routine could be beneficial in regulating stress.

Experiences
On the Christmas theme and to help those close to you de-stress, think about giving friends and family experiences instead of products this year. Gifting someone an experience such as a trip to the theatre or weekend away is suggested to create longer lasting positivity and strengthen relationships, leading to a reduction in stress!

Treat yourself
With busy jobs, family life and daily routines, we often forget to treat ourselves and allow rejuvenation and an element of ‘me time’. Giving yourself a select time every week where you can relax and put everything else out of your mind for a while is ideal. Whether this is an extended sauna or spa session, a regular sports massage to reduce tension within muscles and help you unwind, or a round of golf, take time away from your stress and this will enhance your ability to tackle it in the long run!