Stridi

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 ev...

Hello again! It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. and also, arguably, the most stressful.   I likely wasn’t the only one heading home from town this morning, suddenly thinking “oh no! I still haven’t got anything for so-and-so”. If you’ve even got half of your Christmas shopping done, that’s amazing. If you haven’t started yet, that’s fine too – life gets in the way. This time of year isn’t easy. There’ll be plenty of people still running to the shops over the next week or so. However much you’ve achieved, you’re doing great. A personal story: I was walking through town today. It was busy. The Christmas market was on, people were rushing around, there were things in the way, lots of noise.  I’m an anxious person, but having previously worked in retail for over two years, I’m used to busy places, crowds and shoppers.    Even so, I felt tension, the atmosphere was overwhelming. I didn’t know which shops to go into. I’m not much of a shopper, a...

  Hello, and welcome. If you’re reading this, congratulations – it was Blue Monday yesterday, and we got through it. According to psychology experts, Blue Monday is the most depressing day of the year. The weather is cold, the skies are grey and it’s around the time when our new year resolutions are showing early signs of wear and tear. So we get towards the end of January and we’re all feeling a bit gloomy. How did you feel yesterday?  Part of my reason for writing this piece was because I had a gloomy day. I’m not even sure why. But this time of year can be hard anyway.  I remember an old housemate, who suffered from depression, saying he always found January and February to be the hardest time, because it was so dark, chilly and the weather was terrible.  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels So I’m writing this piece to give some tips on overcoming those gloomy days, when you’re at work, or away from your coping methods. Even if you love your job, b...