A stress-free Christmas!

For many of us, the last weeks of the year are a nightmare.  We madly scurry about looking for the perfect gifts, wrapping paper, decorations, cooking and baking and forget entirely to enjoy.  By the time the family gathers around the tree, we are at the point of collapse from stress.   Yet, this could be otherwise!

„ Instead of a time of joy, Advent for most of us is a time of stress.  We fret, become exhausted and irritable. This gloomy mood and general bad feeling also impacts our family in a negative way.  Furthermore, our immune system is challenged and is prone to diseases,” said Dóra Perczel-Forintos, MD, psychotherapist at the Buda Health Center.  Dr. Perczel-Forintos is a promoter of the Mindfulness Method and the first to have organized a training session for psychotherapists in Hungary in conjunction with the Oxford Mindfulness Center.  We need to consciously take action and stop worthless worrying at the first sign of stress!

Enjoy the moment!

„If you notice that you are becoming ever more stressed due to the increasing amount of things you need to do, you should have a backup system to help you turn the events around.  Such is, for instance, mindfulness, which has been proven effective in treating stress”, continued Dr. Perczel-Forintos.  Mindfulness is based on contemplation and the ancient wisdom of meditation.

Many of us have difficulty in coping with our every days, our work and responsibilities bury us and our thoughts wander to faraway places.  We worry whether everyone will be happy with our gifts and whether we will be finished with all the preparations.  We remember the past, worry in advance and hope that we will not burn the Christmas dinner.   Thus, we miss the precious moments.

The power of awareness

Instead of the constant worrying, concentrate on the now!  When we are heading home from shopping at the mall and are nervously sitting at the red light wondering when will we get home, relax!  Listen to a Christmas carol, or, try to imagine how the persons sitting in the next car celebrate Christmas.  This type of exercise will have a good effect on our soul and, with everyday practice our thinking will become much more positive and not allow panic to overwhelm us.

Suggestions for a stress-free Christmas:

• Try to think now with an open mind, full of curiosity and free of judgments about occasions that earlier made you feel stressed.  Step out of the usual!
• If you happen to be shopping for a certain person, knowingly think about the person for whom you do the buying.  Try to imagine how the object will fit that person and for those few moments we will forget the tumult surrounding us.
• Whatever unpleasantness befalls you, try to not look at is as a problem, but as an opportunity or an experience.  If fear or worry does enter your mind, acknowledge it and to let it go.
• If you begin to feel nervous, close your eyes for a moment and exclusively concentrate on your breathing.  This will have a calming effect.
• Arrange the things you need to do in the order of importance and always concentrate on one item only at a time.  Pretty soo, as you take care of one thing after another in order, you will find that the items on your list are all done.

In order to know the true beauty of the holidays, we need to experience Christmas with all our senses.  Taste the wonderful baked goods, breathe in the fresh scent of the pine trees, listen to the bells and watch how the tiny lights bathe the buildings in color.  Aren’t the holidays wonderful if this is what we pay attention to and see?

Feel free to contact our specialists!

At the Buda Health Center, you have the opportunity to attend the private practices of more than 300 renowned specialists, offering expertise in nearly 45 medical specialisms, at five locations. Personalized care is provided by a well-trained and empathetic staff of professionals, who have been working together for a long time. Based on our 24 years of experience and the feedback received from our 450,000 clients, we are constantly working to organize our healthcare services in the most efficient way possible for those who visit us, paying respect to their needs and time.

Book an appointment on weekdays between 08:00 and 20:00 on +36 1 489-5200!