Christmas and the end of the year, again!

Well, it is that time of year again as Christmas and New Year are now close. Time certainly travels quickly ….

Talking first about travel! I have recently been to New Zealand for a conference about surgery for obesity at which I spoke on mental health and obesity surgery. I have worked with a surgical clinic part of the time for about seven years, and learnt a lot in that time. We find that there are often issues related to mental health, for example depression or binge type eating, and we have to make sure that these issues are handled, alongside the surgery. It was pleasing to find that we are up to date with ideas at the clinic.

The conference also confirmed that I am on track with a new e-book on Emotional Eating, which will be published in the New Year. I am very excited that we will also be providing an online program on being free from Emotional Eating, including hypnosis recordings. So watch the website and newsletters for more information.

I always find that Christmas and New Year are a good time to finish any jobs from 2014, and to take some time out for yourself, to catch up on sleep, exercise and sunshine. I wonder what you will be doing? Maybe catching up with some family, or going away. I will be seeing some friends and family, and then going to Goolwa to do some writing, and to enjoy the beach.

Another suggestion for you is to check out the website for my other e-books on mindfulness and self-belief, as it is a good time of year for both of these! And if you are after an interesting Christmas present, think about my book on Intuition which will give the receiver plenty of inspiration for the New Year! It is full of life affirming ideas.

Christmas can be a stressful time so here are some tips to help with managing the stress:
1. Remember what Christmas means to you, and focus your time and effort on what is important to you.
2. Work out your priorities for Christmas, and ask yourself “what is the most important priority to attend to and what can I shed?
3. Lessen expectations on yourself, and remember whatever you are doing at Christmas does not have to be perfect.
4. Keep things as simple as possible.
5. Don’t compare your celebrations and gifts to what others have. Whatever is right for you, is right for you.
6. With Christmas meals, share the load. Ask others to help by bringing food, bon-bons, wine and so on. And share the work on the day too.
7. Connect with others. Do you have neighbours, friends or family to see?
8. If you find yourself alone, do some nice things for yourself, and consider joining in some community activities – radio, having lunch at a charitable organization, or volunteering there.
9. Always take a moment to breathe and relax.
10. Smile, laugh and have some fun!

In 2015 I will be doing lots of things – blogging regularly, running workshops, writing, teaching and seeing my clients. You can follow the activity on my Facebook page, Dr Cate Howell, or tune in to FIVEaa for Health Talk on Sunday evenings to hear the latest.

In the meantime, enjoy the festive season, and wishing you all a blessed and happy Christmas in 2014.