Two books aim to cut down the Christmas stress

Dare I say that it’s just a little over two months until Christmas Day, with the preparations — and stress — likely to start well before that.

Small surprise, then, that two books have been publicised on the same day, aiming to beat down some of that stress and get things in perspective.

Charles Linden has written “Stress Free in 30 Days”, which seems to focus on Christmas but could no doubt be a useful resource at any time of the year, particularly if you’re juggling a busy family.

“Christmas is a key stress trigger due to the high expectations people often put on that one day! Pre-planning and budgeting can ease the pressure for many, or learning how to deal with volatile family situations can turn a fraught Christmas into an enjoyable one!” Linden says.

“It is not always about removing the stress from your life, but more about how you deal with it that is the key to feeling less stressed”

Stress Free in 30 Days costs £17.99 and is available in Waterstones, WH Smith and Amazon.

Meanwhile, “The S.U.M.O. Guy”, Paul McGee, author of “S.U.M.O. Your Relationships”, says, “You’’ll be better placed to deal with the festive season if you can get it into perspective. Christmas Day, for example, is only one day out of 365. Stop thinking everything has to be ‘perfect’ and try to plan how you can simplify Christmas as much as possible, and get friends and family to help you! For example, if you’’re planning to host a Christmas party, ask your friends to all bring either a mystery sweet or savoury dish - they’’ll be happy to help and it will be fun to see what everyone brings! Cease thinking you have to ‘be all, provide all’ - that can make for a very dull and frazzled hostess. Encourage others to step up to the proverbial plate.””

He also offers up some tips for staying sane this Christmastime.

1. Be Careful Who You Talk To!

The phrase ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’ is an important principle, but not always helpful. Some people have the ability to make you actually feel worse and more troubled after you’ve spoken to them and will end up telling you all their worries – or they’ll tell you they’ve finished all their preparations and “don’t understand what all the fuss is about” –not helpful.

2. Be Careful How Many People You Talk To During Hippo Time!

Repeating all the stresses of your ‘terrible afternoon’ to everyone you speak to will not actually make you feel any better as you’ll just end up in replay mode. Sharing your day’s woes with more than one person can actually be one too many be choosy who to include during your Hippo Time.

3. Do Something You Enjoy!

There are perhaps cheaper and healthier ways to spend your time wallowing, but if eating a little chocolate, or having a few drinks in a bar works for you — why not? Do whatever helps you to relax. Alternatively, it could be a walk in the park with the dog, or a long wallowing bath.

Hippo Time provides a useful ‘mini break’ from life and relieves us from our day-to-day pressures. Time out during Hippo Time also helps you S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On) with what you really need to do, and get life in perspective. Remember when things don’t go as planned, ask yourself: ““Where is this on a scale of 1-10?” (where 10 equates to death)” or ““How important will this be in six months time?”” You’’ll realise it’’s not worth really worrying so much.

Easier said than done, perhaps, but worth bearing in mind.