Positivity a must while on the move

Christmas is now synonymous with travelling, whether that’s visiting loved ones, or inviting them into your home. And travelling at this time of year means crowds, cancellations and delays – but if you prepare yourself now, you can avoid the frustration and sense of helplessness that so often ensues. Here’s how:

Do your homework. About a week before you’re planning to travel, look up all possible routes and alternative methods of transport to your destination. For each, note traffic and congestion predictions, map out the detours you could take should there be a log-jam, and costs. You can then make the best decision based on facts and expert estimations rather than habit. And you’ll have alternative plans at the ready if for some reason things change.

Double your travel time estimates. Arriving early is great – it allows you time to take an invigorating walk or visit a café before you knock on your host’s door. Arriving late, on the other hand, means apologetic texts, numerous progress reports, and fatigue and frazzle when you finally make it to your destination.

If you’re receiving guests, don’t cause unnecessary stress by creating a precise timetable on arrival days. Instead, welcome them into a warm house and offer hot showers and something light and delicious to eat – whenever they arrive.

Prioritise rest. If anything unprecedented happens, we’re more likely to feel stressed if we’re already tired. Therefore, for at least four days before your Christmas begins, eat a light supper and go to bed early – and when that’s not possible, take a 15- to 20-minute nap that day and the day following your late night. It will also help to get up at your usual time every morning rather than trying to “make up” for lost sleep with lie-ins.

Pack wisely for your journey. Sensible provisions will protect you from the three most common physiological stress triggers: cold, dehydration and hunger. Wear layers so you can stay warm; take a bottle of water; and pack healthy snacks such as trail mix or bananas. And don’t forget to arm yourself with pleasant distractions in case you have long delays – good music and audio books are better choices than scrolling through the internet, which will only make you feel distracted and anxious.

Finally, adopt the right attitude. It’s true you can’t control traffic flow or congestion, but these aren’t the real sources of frustration. Our interpretation of what’s happening and our emotional reaction to that interpretation are what cause us to feel stressed, not events themselves. Whatever happens, you can choose either to become anxious or adopt a mindful attitude – to step back mentally and simply observe what’s going on, without reacting emotionally.

Perhaps the most wonderful gift to give yourself this Christmas is to start practicing mindfulness – not just during crowded journeys, but every day.

Linda Blair is a clinical psychologist and author of Siblings: How to Handle Rivalry and Create Lifelong Loving

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