Commandments for a Less Stressful Christmas

It’s Christmas again. Happy holidays! The atmosphere is all calm and serenity. We are full of festive spirit and goodwill to all men, and everything is organized.

Who are we trying to kid?

In reality, the Christmas holidays can be stressful. Of course, there’s the practical stuff, like gifts, food, and parties. Families can be an issue too – stepfamilies, relatives we feel sorry for, but nobody likes, and family dynamics all play a part.

Cash issues can cause stress too. The Christmas credit card bill gets bigger every year despite Black Friday and stores pretending to be on sale. Also, the holidays are a lonely time; everyone else seems to be focused on their families, friends, and significant others, so if you already feel isolated, it can be an even more isolating time of year to get through.

To help with the issues that Christmas brings and help you enjoy the fun stuff, we’ve got Commandments for a Less Stressful Christmas.

Get yourself a cup of chamomile tea, take a few deep breaths, book a massage or a facial and remember that even though it feels like your to-do list will never end, getting stressed is counterproductive. Even Santa knows that a massage can take away all your stress. December will be over before you notice, and it comes back around every year. Don’t stress yourself out! Even if it’s a disaster this year, there’s always next Christmas.

Commandments for a Less Stressful Christmas

• Thou shalt not even try to be perfect
• Thou shalt not spread thyself too thin and stress thyself out.
• Thou shalt learn to say “NO” and mean it.
• Thou shalt not try to be everything to everybody – you will end up being no good to anybody.
• Thou shalt leave undone some of the things that you think ought to be done – they probably don’t.
• Thou shalt make time for thyself.
• Thou shalt learn to switch off and do nothing whenever you feel you have to.
• Thou shalt be as tedious, untidy, or unattractive as you feel like being if you so desire.
• Thou shalt not feel guilty about any of the above things at all.
• Thou shalt not be thine own enemy.

PS: These commandments apply to the rest of the year, too! We hope you have a fabulous holiday and looking forward to a happy, less stressed, and better 2022.

Merry Christmas from us all.

Brilliant Massage & Skin

Burlington, Vermont