By Smita Joshi

Christmas is the most anticipated time of the Western calendar and yet, the closer it gets the more your stress builds, often turning excitement to dread. The combination of just how much there is to get done for that one all-important day, and the prospect of meeting family members whom you may not have seen since last Christmas, contributes to the stress.

Make this Christmas one of pure enjoyment with this mind, body and spirit in action approach.

Mind: Clear the mental clutter of “to dos” that weigh you down

1. Set up your mind to serve you positively. Make a list several weeks upfront of everything that you need to do to be ready for Christmas. Do as much as possible online, such as shopping for gift wrapped presents, e-cards and customised presents.

2. Schedule each action into a specific day in your calendar, including how much time it is likely to need. Then get it done on that day. If the action is incomplete, carry it over to the next available day and set alarms to remind you when it is time to get that particular action complete.

3. At the time dedicated, all that remains is to execute your action. No stories. No confusion. No drama. Just calm, clear, powerful action.

4. Instead of stressing and suffering your way through the approach to Christmas, determine to glide through it with ease. Set each day up with a morning focus, a mini visualisation, of five to ten minutes. The way to do this is before you step out of your bed, lie comfortably and take a few relaxed breaths. Visualise your day ahead and enjoy doing one thing at a time with full focus, being in the moment. Now that you and the most phenomenal tool that you have, your mind, are working in sync, you will achieve your goals smoothly.

Spirit: Connect within yourself to glide with ease into Christmas

5. Often, stress is a function of not trusting yourself or life to bring you what you desire. Start here: trust that you are taken care of in every moment. Whenever you find yourself complaining, whinging, becoming frustrated or insisting that you just don’t have enough time, it’s all too hard, too stressful, know that you are resisting. Resistance is the roadblock to what you say you want. So, get out of your own way by appreciating the positives of the moment and, in doing so, opening the gateway to allow things to go smoothly this Christmas. We tend to want evidence for something before trusting in it, but the secret to success is to do it the other way round: trust first in what you want to have happen and then it will show up.

6. Have a rewarding and fun Christmas. Create a beautiful, inspiring personal mantra, something that is an instant pick-me-up that gets you positively in touch with your innate enthusiasm, vitality and sense of enjoyment.

How do you create such a mantra?

Simply ask yourself, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if …?” This will give you immediate clues to what you would love to be or experience this Christmas and then create your mantra to steer you at all times. For example, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this Christmas could be relaxing, full of laughter and people getting on with each other?” Now create a simple but inspiring sentence that becomes the guiding principal for your thoughts, feelings and actions, for example, “I love being at ease, playful and in harmony.”

7. Keep bringing your awareness to your mantra throughout your day and focus on things that resonate with your mantra’s powerful affirmation.

8. Meditate – any form of meditation you like. Whether it is guided meditation, a silent walk in the woods, meditating with a single mantra, listening to inspirational affirmations, nature sounds—your choice. Experiment or simply record to your smartphone the mantra that you have created for yourself, repeating it several times, and listen to it on repeat for five to ten minutes or more.

Body: Fifteen minutes of daily yoga or exercise gets happiness flowing

9. We have that notion that our work mountain is insurmountable. Getting to the gym for an hour or to a yoga class everyday seems impossible, and yet, doing some form of physical fitness actually works miracles by mopping away the stress and flooding your system with all manner of health and happiness-inducing hormones. You more than recover time spent, as exercising makes you feel happier and boosts your energy, helping you get things done faster. If an hour is not possible, fit in just fifteen minutes a day at home of yoga or your favourite exercise.

10. Drink freshly made juices throughout the Christmas period to boost your energy levels and supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals (as advised by your GP or nutritionist).

11. Take a breath. As you’re rushing around, check into your breath. Is your breathing smooth, long and full or is it shallow? Do you feel tense in your chest or is your belly rising and falling in a relaxed manner with your breath? Simply bringing your attention to your breath will help to deepen your breathing and instantly encourage relaxation. Combine your personal mantra with focusing on your breath when you start to become irritated or upset. Let it all go and refocus on the positive statement that you have created.

About Smita Joshi
Smita Joshi is the author of the Karma and Diamonds trilogy, a gripping journey of self-discovery across continents and lifetimes.

As a freelance TV presenter and for her YouTube channel, which has over 245,000 views, she has interviewed leading politicians, entrepreneurs and gurus.