Stridi

Hey everyone! Happy Christmas. While it can be a wonderful time of year for some, the festive season can be a lonely time for others.    You’ve probably heard of the four happy hormones: Seratonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Endorphins. Oxytocin is what we’ll be focusing on today.  Oxytocin is the love hormone. You can get it from hugs, affection, spending time with your pets, and having a chat with a friend. That rush of happiness and contentment after a hug with your partner, friend or your pet? That’s Oxytocin. During the festive period, not everyone will be getting their fair share of this hormone, and so here’s five ways to improve your Oxytocin levels from the comfort of your own home: 1.       Turn up the tunes. If you’ve been shopping in the last couple of weeks, you’re probably a bit fed up of endless renditions of Slade or WHAM. Don’t worry, happy hormones are not solely reliant on a particular genre.    Play your favourite song, or your favourite album.  Stre

Hey everyone! To follow on from our last blog post (available here ), about dealing with festive stress, we’re back with a few bits of advice to give you even more options in the next few days. So, without further ado. Instead of: Overdoing it. Make a list of priorities. For example - A present for Auntie Jane.    Some more mince pies for Boxing Day. A DVD to keep the youngsters amused while you all doze off on the sofa after dinner. Clean the spare room. Consider which tasks are important. Can something wait until tomorrow, or the next day? If not, complete it today.   Overindulgence: Focus on your budget. Nobody wants to go into the new year living from their overdraft. Whilst it can be useful to have more food than you need, consider what you’re likely to consume and what you aren’t.    You don’t have to drink. You don’t have to consume loads of sweets and/or chocolate. You don’t have to be seen to be having the best Christmas ever in front of your soci