Staying Grounded Through the Festive Season: A Guide for Women Navigating Family Gatherings (Part 4).

5 Dec

Part 3: staying grounded through the day.

If you haven’t read the previous parts of my Festive Season blog you can go back and check them out here:

Part 1 Naming the truth about Christmas.
Part 2 Planning ahead for triggers.
Part 3 Exit strategies that keep you safe.

Each week I introduce a new topic which, I hope, will help you to manage the ‘silly season’ with serenity, peace and more joy than you might normally feel.

This week I talk about staying grounded throughout the day, even when things start to feel overwhelming.

Christmas often stirs up old family patterns. No matter how much time passes, certain comments or behaviour can hit a nerve as if no time has gone by at all.

Even with preparation Christmas Day can feel overwhelming.

Here are practical tools to help you stay steady in the middle of it all.

micro-practices you can use.

These small rituals can be used throughout the day, at any time. No-one needs to know you are doing them, but you will notice a change in yourself.

Whilst it’s a good idea to get used to doing one or two of them in the lead up to stressful times they can be used as one-off techniques.

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding:
- Name 5 things you can see.
- 4 things you can touch.
- 3 you can hear.
- 2 you can smell.
- 1 you can taste.
Barefoot reset:
- Step outside.
- Place your feet on the ground.
- Feel the support of the earth beneath you.
Gratitude pause:
- Quietly name five things you’re grateful for.
- Remain present.
- They can be small but they should have meaning for you.