Top tips to navigate the festive season from the Devon Wellbeing Hub

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in News, Recovery and wellbeing on 20th December, 2022

Regardless of your beliefs around this time of year, it can be hard not to get caught up in the frenzy surrounding Christmas. For some, it may be a time of great joy and excitement. An opportunity to possibly have some time off work and connect with family and friends. However, this year more than ever, it is likely to be a challenge for a lot of people due to increased financial and work pressures.

As colleagues working in healthcare, social care and the police, you give a lot to other people. Perhaps the festive period can be a time where we try to give back to ourselves? 

Anna Croucher, Senior Colleague Wellbeing Practitioner at the Devon Wellbeing Hub, has put together five top tips to help us navigate the festive period and leave us feeling more replenished in the process.

  1. Slow down: We can spend a lot of our time running around on ‘autopilot’, both in what we do and how we think. This can help us get things done quickly, but it also means we may miss out on things we enjoy. Purposefully slowing down and coming to your senses can be a helpful way to reconnect this time of year. Try paying more attention to the festive lights in your street or really savouring every mouthful of your Christmas lunch!
  2. Make time for you: During the festive season we may end up giving a lot of time and energy to others. This, on top of our day job, can leave us feeling exhausted. Creating a 'just 5 minutes' list of activities can help you recharge and writing things down makes it easier to action. Your list might include; having a cuppa, playing Wordle, washing your face or standing outside in the sun (if it’s out!). It doesn’t matter what it is, just that it helps ‘you be you’.
  3. Be mindful of ‘should’: A lot of us have obligations to others and commitments we cannot, and perhaps do not, want to get out of. However, do be aware of the other 'shoulds' that come this time of year. A good question to ask is, “who says I should?” If you are not happy with the answer then perhaps park it for now to free up some of your energy and time.
  4. What are you giving? Research shows that giving to others really impacts on our own sense of wellbeing, but this doesn’t have to mean buying presents. Instead, it could involve arranging quality time with people, or displaying kindness to others, maybe even volunteering.
  5. Be kind to yourself: Self-compassion is increasingly recognised as an essential skill to prevent burnout and improve our general health. Next time you make a mistake or things don’t go to plan (which happens to all of us!) notice the words and tone that you use to talk to yourself. Would you speak to a friend like this? You can also try putting your hand on your heart, this releases Oxytocin, a hormone that relaxes you and tells you that you are safe.

Get in touch

Getting support from the Devon Wellbeing Hub is simple. If you work in healthcare, social care or the police and are struggling with any aspect of your wellbeing, or you lead a team who would benefit from support, the Hub can help you today. Please get in touch by emailing dpt.devonwellbeing@nhs.net or by calling 0300 303 5455. You can also fill out the referral form on the Devon Wellbeing Hub website

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