How to cope with Christmas

For some of us Christmas isn’t necessarily easy. It can be a reminder of loved ones who are no longer with us, it can be extremely stressful because of the pressure we put on ourselves, and there is temptation everywhere to eat all the food we know won’t help our symptoms and drink too much alcohol, which we know will ultimately make us feel awful too!

So in the run up to Christmas I will be sharing some tips to help you keep on track and some recipes you can use that will give you delicious food to cook and enjoy which won’t make your hot flushes worse, won’t make you feel bloated, won’t make you put on more weight and will keep you feeling full of energy.

But its not just about food… stress is a major factor in making us feel exhausted and will in fact make many of the common Menopause symptoms worse because when we are chronically stressed our body is in Fight or flight mode, ready to run away from the perceived threat, this means your cortisol level is high and your body will continually be producing adrenalin. As a result, as I explained in my blog about inflammation your HPA axis will become out of balance as your body tries to adjust.

Stress is often made worse by the pressure we put on ourselves to buy gifts we may not be able to afford, have a house that looks ” perfect “, create the “perfect Christmas” for our loved ones, but this year why don’t you practice being ” Healthily selfish “. Here are a few ideas to make Christmas more enjoyable:

Every day take a few mins for yourself, do something you love to do but don’t normally make the time as you feel guilty (read a book, take a nice long bath) and tell everyone you are doing it so they don’t disturb you. Write a wish list in advance and tick them off each day.
Agree with your family that you will buy fewer gifts or nominate each family member a person to buy a thoughtful gift for which doesn’t cost too much (you could set a spend limit if money is short)- Even a family secret Santa can be fun!
If you are hosting a big family meal ask people to bring a course instead of you cooking it all. Sharing the effort that is put into the meal, is actually a really nice way to appreciate everyone’s contribution too!
Say NO more! You are a grown woman and life is too short to be doing things you don’t want to do or spending time with people you don’t want to be with.

Look out for my 12 days of Christmas recipes which I will be posting in December along with tips to help you thrive over the festive season

But most of all, show yourself the kindness you show to everyone else and put yourself first sometimes for a change!