5 Simple Meditations You Can Use to Defuse Festive Stress [Listen Now]
20th Oct 22
Tis the season to be jolly right? Not when festive stress starts showing its ugly head it’s not!
Stress can sometimes feel like a given during the holiday season. Especially with the pressure of seasonal expectation, family boundaries and traditions. Yet, it doesn’t have to be such a strain. There are many ways to help you neutralise such stress.
One great way to help settle your mind and body, all the while cultivating inner and outer peace over the festive season is through using a guided meditation.
Lucky for you we have spoken to five amazing wellness practitioners who have each lovingly shared a meditation with us to assist you.
All they ask while listening to their meditation is that you make yourself as comfortable as you can, and that you’re not driving or carrying out any activity that can compromise yours or other people’s safety, should you feel so relaxed while listening.
Let’s explore five simple meditations to help you avoid and diminish festive stress . . .
1. More Festive Fun, Less Seasonal Stress – 10 mins
Christmas means different things to different people. Many people love everything about Christmas, others hate it. Most people are somewhere along a scale between love and hate. I’d hazard a guess that, like many people, you enjoy Christmas and would like to enjoy it more but find it a stressful time of year.
Much of the pressure and festive stress we put on ourselves is in an effort to create the ‘perfect Christmas’. We forget that ‘Perfection’ is an impossible goal. If we can let go of this arbitrary goal. We can relax and take pleasure in the moments of fun and the moments of laughter. Plus, the moments of joy, the moments of connection, and the moments of love. When we do this, we can truly enjoy the festive fun.
How to use the meditation
This festive meditation will help you let go of the seasonal stress, encouraging you instead to notice, experience and savour the many moments of joy this Christmas.
To get the best out of this meditation:
- Choose a time when you can relax, undisturbed for at least 10 minutes
- Make yourself comfortable
- If possible, sit quietly for a minute or two when the meditation has finished.
Meditation created by Margaret Webster, a Hypnotherapist and Complementary Therapist over at Escape To Shanti
2. Festive Stress? Float Away to a Beach Instead – 14 mins
If you hear the words meditation and think “blimey I can’t sit still and think about nothing”, well you’ll be pleased to hear, there is another way. The aim of meditation isn’t to stop the thoughts in your head, that’s part of being alive! The idea is to slow those thoughts down and let them settle.
Guided relaxations are a perfect way to unwind as they give you something to focus on. If you find festive stress leads you to be more short tempered, like you are missing out on the fun, or when you do eventually get to bed you’re too tired to sleep (yes that is an actual thing!). Finding 15 minutes to relax can make a huge difference to both your stress and energy levels.
Tip for use of meditation
My tip is to find a time in the day that works for you when you know you won’t be disturbed. You could even pop it on in bed to help you unwind and fall asleep.
Meditation created by Jenny Oakenfull, a Movement and Pain Management Specialist at Active-Eat
3. Ground and Protect Yourself Daily this Christmas – 4 mins
It is so easy to forget to look after ourselves if we are busy, particularly at Christmas when there are so many demands on our time. This short powerful meditation will give you a few minutes to become aware of your own energy in the present moment. As you imagine roots grounding you to Mother Earth and beautiful white light protecting you, you will feel stronger, lighter, and brighter.
Suggested ways to use this meditation
Doing this meditation first thing in the morning and setting a positive intention for the day will help you set the tone for the day. All the while keeping festive stress at bay. Alternatively, it is short enough to be done at any time you feel you need it so please use it and enjoy it!
Meditation created by Karen Peddie, a Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, EFT Practitioner at Karen Peddie Holistics
4. Cultivating Calm in the Busy Season – 14 mins
The festive season is a time of joy and celebration with our loved ones. It can also be a time of stress and overwhelm as families come together closely- sometimes too close and tension can arise.
Meditation benefits
This loving kindness meditation is designed to provide a window of calm in the busy season. It offers soothing music and words guiding you to approach yourself and those around you with love and kindness.
It will support you to keep the peace during the holidays, by offering you a few moments of soothing calm to reframe your perspective and attitude in any difficult situations (or with difficult people!) and help you see the love all around you, to feel kinder and calmer.
Meditation created by Laila Datoo, a Wellbeing & Mindfulness coach at A Life More Mindful
5. Christmas Stress Release Hypnotherapy Meditation – 35 mins
This hypnotherapy meditation uses a wonderfully relaxing deepener and induction that takes you into a place of subconscious learning. The story metaphors within the relaxation supports you to see parallels within your own circumstances. It enables you to recognise your unique qualities and aids your ability to change your perspective, building inner resilience when it comes to surviving stressful events at Christmas.
Suggested ways to use this meditation
It is best to listen to at night as you are falling asleep. This also means that you’re not having to try and fit it into your already busy schedule. Consciously you may hear all, none, or just some of the recording. Whether or not you hear the words consciously isn’t too important. So, it’s okay if you fall asleep. Your subconscious mind is always listening and will absorb all the benefits.
You can also listen during the day. Just find a quiet space to sit down and relax. Please do not listen whilst doing any activity that may compromise your safety should you fall asleep.
Meditation created by Tania Taylor, a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist at Tania Taylor Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy
Final Words on Festive Stress
Are you ready to keep festive stress at bay this year and dissolve any that may have crept in already? If so, which of the above meditation(s) will you be employing to help you first? Whichever ones you choose, be sure to follow the suggested guidance offered by our lovely wellness practitioners to ensure full benefit.
If you’d like to explore any further helpful meditations or stress reducing solutions head over to our wellbeing platform that shares many options from dedicated wellbeing practitioners.
On that note, all that is left to do is wish you an expected peaceful and joyful festive period ahead.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this Site is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Please consult a qualified health care professional to diagnose your health condition and prevent self-diagnosis. We do not dispense medical advice or prescribe or diagnose illness. Read full medical and health disclaimer.
