HAPPINESS HABITS AND STRESS

All too often, December feels like a month that happens to us, not a month that we own ourselves. It’s important to reclaim the month, by thinking about what you want to achieve before the end of the year, and how you want to feel when you leave the office and head home to your family for the holidays.

During a busy month like December, little rituals like doing a mindfulness meditation app in the morning or even taking time to yourself in the bath are the first things to go, but I’ve realised that these are the very things that keep us on an even keel, and able to enjoy the social whirl of the season. I always know that I’m struggling when things that should feel like a treat – an evening out with friends, a Sunday roast, a Christmas party – feel more like chores, looming in my diary as things I have to “get through” rather than enjoy. This year, I’ve signed up for Jessica Boston’s positive habits advent calendar for the entire month of December to give my month a healthier shape.

“December is the time to start setting intentions for what you want in 2019,” says Boston. “Take a deep breath, close your eyes and go out into the future, picturing yourself somewhere in front of your face. See how you look, where you are, who you are with, how you move, how you feel about yourself, what you are doing that fills you with joy. Fill in all the details you need to make the picture bigger and brighter until it really excites you and makes you want to take action towards it. Ask yourself, what would it take to make this picture my reality?”

By starting to picture what you want from the

Get a head start on the inevitable life-assessment that the end of year brings

year ahead now, it becomes much easier to stay consistent in your habits – work, social, eating and exercise – because you have a sense of purpose. And in a month when we’re supposed to give ourselves over completely to pleasure, a sense of purpose becomes a vital anchor.

So another pre-tox ritual of mine is to plan a course, learn a new skill, or commit to some sort of regular activity, to give my month shape and structure beyond all the socialising.

This year, I’ve joined a social choir and am taking singing lessons. I’m also dedicating myself to learning basic Spanish on the Duolingo app, ahead of a big trip to Colombia next year. Again, it’s about getting a head start on the inevitable life-assessment that the end of year brings, and, as a bonus, it also gives me some fresh conversational fodder for those awkward work drinks.