ESCAPE: Our Favourite Tricks for Staying Calm this Christmas

In the hustle and bustle of the lead up to and the occasion of Christmas, it is easy to feel a bit overwhelmed by everything going on. Most of us emerge from Christmas feeling well fed but potentially pretty knackered, having spent the last few weeks running around as we prepare for the holiday season. 

This year, we're trying to build a bit more calm into the chaos and a bit more breathing into the bustle. Here are three tricks we've discovered that can help you step back and take a breath during a busy moment (whether that's last minute Christmas shopping, trying to cram the last bits of work into 2017 or whizzing around on Christmas morning frantically looking for the potato peeler).

1. A minute of mindful breathing

Our Founder Rosie has a handy app on her phone which prompts her to do this twice a day and it's an incredible way of resetting the clock and taking a pause in the midst of a busy moment. With or without app or technology reminder (we acknowledge the irony there), mindful breathing simply involves taking a moment to sit down and focus on breathing in and out for sixty seconds. Taking deep breaths, trying to relax your muscles and really focusing on your breathing, the sound and the sensation, helps you to disconnect from the many thoughts and distractions in front of you and to just reclaim sixty seconds of calm. Even the busiest amongst us can manage this one!

2. Focus on a single repetitive task

Whether it's washing your hands, stirring a pot or chopping vegetables, single repetitive tasks (and there are many during the Christmas break) are a great opportunity to allow your brain to relax and slow down. Try to focus on the task in hand in precise detail, use all of your senses - look, listen, hear, smell and feel the actions as you perform them. Allow your brain to wander and lose itself or to zone out as you complete your activity. (ps. Worth keeping this trick on the downlow or you'll have all the family competing to chop the veg.)

3. Take a short walk

Often the easiest way to unplug from a stressful or busy situation is to literally physically exit the situation. Use a short walk to change your scenery and to step back from busy moments. During your walk, think again about your breathing, about what you can see and hear and try to focus on the walk itself. 

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Don't forget - one of the few places that you can avoid your work emails, the frantic Christmas shoppers and too much time with distant relatives is the swimming pool. Most pools are open throughout the Christmas period (excluding Christmas day). 

Have a wonderful Christmas!