Survive Christmas Without Burnout: 5 Stress-Busting Tips for Busy Mums

Episode 2: 5 Ways to Avoid Christmas Stress

Christmas should be joyful, but for most busy working mums, it's exhausting! Between the shopping, cooking, socialising, and trying to make everything perfect, the festive season can quickly become overwhelming.

In this episode, I'm sharing my top 5 practical tips for a healthier, less stressful Christmas – because you deserve to actually ENJOY the festive season, not just survive it.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why self-care is non-negotiable at Christmas (and how to actually make it happen)
• How slowing down and delaying plans can save your sanity
• My go-to homeopathic remedy for heartburn and hangovers (yes, the same one works for both!)
• Why giving the gift of time is better than buying more stuff
• How to protect your mental health when dealing with difficult family dynamics

Practical tips you can implement RIGHT NOW:

• How to block out self-care time (and actually stick to it)
• Natural ways to support your liver during party season
• How to set boundaries without feeling guilty

Homeopathic remedy mentioned: Nux vomica (available in my Xmas Survival Kit)

Whether you're already feeling the Christmas pressure or you want to get ahead of the stress this year, this episode gives you actionable strategies to protect your wellbeing.

Christmas doesn't have to be stressful. You can enjoy it, prioritize your health, and ask for help when you need it.

Perfect for: Busy working mums who want to stop feeling overwhelmed and start enjoying the festive season.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to the Homeopath in Your Pocket, where I help busy working mums discover how to support their family's health with confidence. Hi, I'm your host, Neela Prabhu, a licensed homeopath with 20 years of experience as a pharmacist. As a mum of two girls, I totally understand the juggle of family life firsthand. Each week, I'll share practical, actionable tips that you can use today to support your family's well-being. So let's get started. Christmas and the weeks leading up to it are extremely busy. We're encouraged to eat rich food, drink alcohol, and attend several late-night events. The pressure is there from school as well that your child needs to bring in various things for the Christmas fair, they need to dress up on a certain day. All of this when nature is hibernating, and we should be too. So I'm going to be sharing my top five tips for a healthier, less stressful Christmas. So tip number one: make self-care non-negotiable. So think about it this way: if you had a haircut booked, a car MOT, another important appointment, you wouldn't cancel it on a whim unless it was a real emergency. So why does self-care get pushed to the bottom of the list or totally cancelled? It's a huge part of Christmas stress. Running around trying to make everyone else happy and depleting yourself totally in the process. Have you heard of that phrase you can't pour from an empty cup? Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about. But a lot of people don't know how to then top up their cup so they then can give to others. Self-care looks different to everyone. It doesn't have to be an expensive, elaborate spa day or a yoga retreat, although if that's what you need, brilliant, book it in and don't cancel it. But for most busy working mums, it's much more simple than that. Ten minutes of mindfulness every day, meditation, sitting quietly with a hot cup of tea before the chaos begins. Even that can make a huge difference. So here's what I want you to do. Block out the time in your calendar for yourself and treat it like any other important appointment. Write it down, protect it, and don't let anyone, including yourself, cancel it unless it's genuine emergency. This isn't selfish, this is survival. This is you looking after yourself so that you can look after everybody else. It's putting on your oxygen mask first. Make self-care non-negotiable this Christmas. Number two, slow down and delay plans. Nature is resting. She's hibernating, the leaves have fallen on the trees, she's not in full bloom like spring or summer. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. Everything is drawing inwards, and everything in the natural world is slowing down. And yet here we are going out socializing and making plans every other night. The expectation is that we should be busy throughout November and December. And if you don't say no, your calendar can get jam-packed with events. But it's not what your body needs. Your body needs rest and it needs downtime. So keep some nights free so that you can rest and catch up. You don't have to say yes to every invitation. You don't have to attend every party, school event, or work to. It's okay to say no. In fact, it's more than okay, it's necessary. Delay plans until January. So we often promise friends and family to catch up before Christmas or over Christmas period. But why not delay those plans until January? It'll give you something to look forward to after the festive chaos. It takes the pressure off the Christmas period itself so that you can keep your promises and have a healthier Christmas. January can often be a bit bleak, and delaying social plans until then gives you something nice to look forward to. The bottom line is that you need to slow down and give yourself permission to rest, and your body will thank you for it. Number three, heartburn and hangovers. You're probably going to be eating more rich food and alcohol at home, as well as maybe eating out more in restaurants during the festive period. It's part of the season after all. Christmas dinners, office parties, get-togethers, are you going to have that proverbial turkey? All that rich food and alcohol can play havoc on your digestive system. Heartburn is a burning feeling felt in the centre of your chest. It can sometimes feel like someone has punched you right in the centre of your chest. It's really quite uncomfortable. If you suffer regularly, obviously that needs investigating. Don't just ignore it or mask it with antacids long term. Do go and speak to your GP if it's persistent. For occasional heartburn from overindulgence, homeopathy works brilliantly. And my number one remedy here is Nux VOM. In fact, I call it my Christmas remedy because it's not just for heartburn or hangovers, it's for any indulgence where you've overindulged in too much food, too much alcohol. It's brilliant for heartburn and it works wonders on hangovers. So your classic hangover, you've had too much to drink, you're feeling rough the next morning with a headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise. I always feel really, really tired for the whole day afterwards. Maybe that's just me. But Nux Form can really help before your head hits the pillow, or if you forget you can take some in the morning. The link for that is in the show notes. So the link between liver and alcohol is really important to understand. Alcohol does put a strain on your liver, but our liver is an amazing organ that performs 500 functions for us every day. And it works hard all the time to remove toxins from the body, including excess hormones. So this is relevant if you are suffering from menopausal symptoms because in Chinese medicine the liver controls our menopause and our menstruation. So if you're then using alcohol to perhaps manage Christmas stress, your liver is going to be working even harder to get rid of that alcohol, which is toxin. So it's going to struggle to process the excess hormones, and it then becomes a vicious cycle, and your menopausal symptoms may become worse. So hopefully you can see that there are other ways to manage your stress, which we've already talked about, the self-care and the slowing down. And these are far healthier coping mechanisms. So where can you get my NUX from if you want it on hand for yourself or others over the festive period? Head to the link in my show notes and purchase this as your hangover cure. It's one of the best investments you'll make this Christmas. Number four, give the gift of time. So advertisers and retailers try really hard to get you to spend your hard-earned money on the latest gadget or perfume or whatever the gift is, which they will almost guarantee is going to make the special person in your life feel amazing and it will contribute to the perfect Christmas. There is a pressure to buy the perfect gift for everyone on your list, but this means even more stress for you. There's the shopping trip, the crowns, the expense, the worry they won't like it. It's exhausting. So give your time instead. Offer to cook them a meal, mow their lawn, beat them at chess, whatever means meaningful and personal to them. Time is the perfect gift because it's one size fits all, you can't get it wrong, and it's the most precious thing because we can't get more of it. You're making memories that last longer than that toy that breaks on Boxing Day or the perfume that they hate. Purchasing experiences over stuff. This is also more eco-friendly. A spa day, a helicopter ride, tickets to that show that they love, create memories and not clutter, and they often have a lasting impact. So this Christmas, consider giving the gift of your time and your presence. You'll be reducing stress, saving money, and it'll mean so much more to the people that you love. And number five, plan to protect your mental health. So let's be honest, spending time with certain family members or friends can be stressful at this time of year. Christmas brings up old tensions, unresolved conflicts, and uncomfortable conversations. So what are your priorities for Christmas Day? What really matters to you? Having a peaceful meal, spending quality time with children, avoiding drama. Get clear on what you want and plan around that. Avoid awkward comments. So how do we do this? Have you got a prepared answer in your back pocket for Great Aunt Flo when she asks you why you're not married or when you're having another baby? Something polite, deflecting and final can really make a difference here. Oh, we'll see what happens and then change the subject. Or could you shrug it off and ignore it? Is there another way of easing the stress? Perhaps you could have an honest chat beforehand. Could you call them before Christmas and have that telephone conversation? Look, I really appreciate it if we could avoid talking about XYZ topic this year. It's a bit sensitive for me. Sometimes just being clear and kind can work wonders. Most people will respect that boundary. Breaking old traditions. Here's the thing rose tinted, happy families on adverts, but they're not real life. That perfect, harmonious Christmas, it doesn't exist. However much Christmas movies sell this to us. Make sure you enjoy your festive period. Make your own traditions or break unhealthy old ones. Does hosting Christmas dinner stress you out every year? Stop doing it. Does visiting certain relatives always end in tears? Skip it this year. You're allowed to protect your peace. You're allowed to do Christmas differently. Homeopathy can help hugely with heartburn, mental health, and many other issues during the festive season. We talked about Nux VOM for heartburn and hangovers, but also there are remedies for anxiety, overwhelm, exhaustion, and family tensions. So whatever you're struggling with, homeopathy has something to offer. So here are your action steps that you can do right here, right now. Number one, block out some self-care time. Open your calendar right now, block out at least 10 minutes every day for yourself, and treat it like an unmissable appointment and protect it fiercely. Number two, delay some social plans. Look at your December diary. Which gatherings could you move to January? Make those calls, send those messages. People will understand and you'll feel so much lighter. Step three, get prepared with homeopathy. Head to the link in my bio and grab my Christmas survival kit. It's got everything in there you need to get through the season of goodwill. Remedies for hangovers, heartburn, stress, anxiety, and more. It's like your homeopathic first aid kit specifically for Christmas chaos. If you need more personalised help, book a free discovery call with me, where we can talk about what's stressing you out, create a plan to support you through the festive period and beyond. The link is in the show notes. So, a quick recap here. What we talked about were five tips for avoiding Christmas stress, making self-care non-negotiable, slowing down, delaying plans, tackling heartburn and hangovers with Nux Bomb, giving the gift of time instead of more stuff, planning to protect your mental health. Christmas doesn't have to be stressful. You can enjoy it, prioritize well-being, and ask for help when needed. Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you found this helpful, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review as it helps other busy mums discover the show. If you want to dive deeper, book a free discovery call to see how we can work together one-to-one, or join me on Instagram at Homeopathic Harmony, where we can continue the conversation. And don't forget to grab your free guide to beating insomnia when you join my email list because I know sleep is precious when you're juggling everything else. The links are in the show notes. I'll see you next week.