Who would like some Christmas ideas to improve well-being?

I cannot believe I am writing this but I think it is time that I share some of my Christmas ideas for enhancing well-being! After coming home from shopping today and seeing the Christmas tree being erected in my local town, it struck me just how close Christmas is.

It’s fairly normal to get a little bit more anxious at Christmas time, there is just so much stress put on us. The media don’t really help. Christmas advertisements are everywhere. The hustle and bustle has already started. Everyone is starting to buy presents and others are worrying about finding the money to do so. The pressure of appearing to enjoy it for the kids is often overwhelming and the whole cooking dinner for the whole family saga is only a few weeks away! We put so much pressure on ourselves and often we forget the most important thing, and that is our own health.

So I thought I would put together a Christmas Self Care Survival Kit for you to try and ease the stress of the coming Christmas period. Some are things to help you get into the Christmas spirits, others just to life your spirits. But they’re all there just for you in mind.

Ok let’s begin with looking after your own well-being and there is no better way to do that than some serious Christmas time pampering. But what are the best ideas for pampering?

Pamper Yourself this Christmas

When you’re all shopped out and stressed from the Christmas crowds, could there be anything more in need than a serious pampering? Let’s explore some of the things you could try to chill out with.

Light up Christmas with Yankee Candle

It’s been difficult trying to combine getting into the Christmas spirit and winding down , but I think I have found it in this advent calendar. You could countdown to Christmas with a Yankee Candle advent calendar, This amazing treat contains 24 tealights in a selection of new and classic festive fragrances:

Christmas Cooki e The rich scent of buttery, vanilla sugar cookies, still warm from the oven.

The rich scent of buttery, vanilla sugar cookies, still warm from the oven. Snowflake Cookie Fresh, sweet cookies, dusted with sugary pink icing.

Fresh, sweet cookies, dusted with sugary pink icing. All is Bright Top notes of citrus fruit drifting gently into hints of red currant and a baseline of sweet musk.

Top notes of citrus fruit drifting gently into hints of red currant and a baseline of sweet musk. Festive Cocktail Cranberries, mountain berries and crisp notes of fresh-cut pine combine to create a refreshing winter aroma.

Cranberries, mountain berries and crisp notes of fresh-cut pine combine to create a refreshing winter aroma. Star Anise & Orange Zesty trails of orange and mandarin paired with the heady notes of anise, cloves and musk.

Zesty trails of orange and mandarin paired with the heady notes of anise, cloves and musk. Macaron Treats Creamy vanilla blended beautifully with hints of cookie, baked almonds and raw, syrupy sugar.

So that is one candle to wind down with each evening throughout the whole Christmas period. What’s more is each individual tealight lasts for 4-6 hours, filling your home with wonderful scents right up until the Christmas day itself.

You can get the Yankee advent calendar here for £21.99.

And we can’t go forgetting the kids can we? So here’s an extra special advent calendar for them too here.

Curl up with a classic Christmas movie

Remember when you were kids and those good old Christmas ‘feel good’ movies would come on TV? Well why not recreate those moments and curl up under a warm blanket and enjoy those old films again. I remember one of my childhood favourites was Santa Claus The Movie







What’s your favourite Christmas movie? Why don’t you give it another watch and wind down!! Maybe you could share that moment with someone special!

Crafting Those Winter Blues Away

Arts and crafts are so popular, but where do you start and what do you try when you’re a complete beginner? In my top tips for Christmas I will introduce you to three great arts and craft activities for this seasonal time of year.

Crochet Your Own Christmas

First of all, crochet seems to have had a tremendous come back in recent years, and with winter well and truly coming there has never been a better time to learn. Not only is crochet fun to learn, it is therapeutic and you get to make some really cool things! You could crochet a collection of granny squares throughout the month of December to make a warm blanket for those cold January nights, or a charming scarf or hat to brave the coming cold.

You can read about just how beneficial crochet and knitting are for your mental health on the Craft Yarn Council website. They go onto explain that crochet is good for your mood, mind and your body. Some people have gone as far to say that knitting/crochet has truly saved their life.

As an Occupational Therapist I am a firm believer in using activity as a therapeutic tool and knitting and crochet is amongst some of the best and most popular crafts used to boost your mood! Who’d have thought it huh? It’s true though!

You can pick up the fantastic set in the picture for the bargain price of £19.62.

Design Your Own Cards

Another one of my Christmas ideas is to make your own Christmas cards, and what better way to do it than to craft your family a beautiful Christmas card. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t enjoyed trying out card making is so easy yet so rewarding! Card making itself can be a year round hobby, but Christmas is a great time to start. Not only do you get to enjoy making them, you get to save a lot of money too.

There are so many ways you can design cards, from using stamps and colouring pencils, painting a Christmas themed scene or designing pop up style or using beautiful embellishments.

Christmas Watercolour Washes to Unwind with

One of the most therapeutic past times I’ve tried is watercolour painting. There’s just something so relaxing about it. Watching the paint just spread across the page using a wet on wet technique, it’s beautiful. Whether you want to use watercolour paints or pencils (pencils are much easier to use when starting) you can easily lose hours just sitting there creating works of art with such beautiful transparency. It’s worth mentioning that you can use watercolours to make some absolutely stunning Christmas cards too.

Connect with Others and Become Involved

When thinking about Christmas ideas, I thought about when was the last time I were involved in something positive at Christmas time? I don’t just mean the works Christmas dinner or the festive drinks at the weekend. I mean connecting with others. Maybe doing something that can help others, and in turn make you feel good about yourself too. Christmas is a time for giving, but that giving doesn’t always have to mean spending money. I for one want to get involved with something this Christmas time.

Volunteering for Christmas

There are organisations all over the world who try to make Christmas better for people who are disadvantaged. There are so many people who are homeless this Christmas and charities who run soup kitchens are always looking for people to help them over the Christmas period. The gift of giving your time to a good cause can be worth much more than gifting a simple ‘thing’.

This is why volunteering at Christmas makes my Christmas ideas list. You could make new friends, change the lives of someone less fortunate and learn a few things along the way too.

There are many other things you can do too, such as going to your local carol services, carol singing for others, visiting older persons who may not have any family. The list is endless. The message here is, just connect.

So there we have it. A list of Christmas ideas comprising self-care, productivity and leisure activities! What more could you want? What Christmas ideas would you come up with?

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