PEACE
Carve out some little pockets of peace amidst the festive fun and frolics, with Joanne Mallon’s soothing rituals to help you re-centre and rise above stress
The hustle and bustle is as much a part of Christmas as Brussels sprouts, lukewarm mulled wine, and Slade belting out It’s Christmas! And while we wouldn’t be without these cherished traditions, sometimes the stress of running around trying to make everything perfect can be too much for even the most festive among us.
‘I’m a very calm person – you wouldn’t write a book called How To Find Calm In Five Minutes A Day and not be! – but even I can start to feel a bit over whelmed at Christmas,’ explains author Joanne Mallon. ‘Luckily, there are so many ways you can ground yourself at this time of year. The key is to look for things that are simple and evocative but don’t take a lot of extra effort. You want things that put a smile on your face but that can be happening in the background, such as having your favourite playlist on while you’re baking mince pies, or enjoying the scent of a cinnamon-spiced candle when writing cards. These things don’t take any extra time, but can really help you to ground yourself in the season.’
Mallon’s book is packed full of ways to add calm to your day all year round, but, here, we’ve given them a festive twist to help you find some calm and some Christmas spirit – what more could you want?
1 Listening to birdsong has been found to improve wellbeing and help us feel less stressed. Birds in flight can also be incredibly calming to watch – think of the hypnotic mass of a starling murmuration. To encourage birds into your daily space, hang a bird feeder outside a window where you can see it regularly. MAKE IT FESTIVE… Encourage robins into your garden by providing a regular food source – their favourites include fruit, seeds, suet, crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts and raisins.
2 Colour psychology has found that blue is the most calming colour on the spectrum, so incorporate it into your daily life. Lighter, softer blues tend to be the best for this, as they can also help us to concentrate better. Look around you –how much blue can you see? Try looking out at the sky from time to time, wearing blue, painting your nails in blue hues, or putting images of water where you’ll see them regularly. MAKE IT FESTIVE… Looking for anew colour scheme for the tree? Why not add alittle icy white and blue to your decor, to make it asparkling, sensory treat.
3 Many studies have established the calming effects of being out in nature. It’s also understood that just looking at photos of the natural world can reduce stress. So if your day is spent indoors, bring nature to your workspace. Have ascreensaver that shows the great outdoors. Listen to the rhythmic sound of rain or wind. Put pictures of n
