Remember Mrs Elf This Christmas

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We all know that Christmas time asks a lot of working parents. Just when you thought that you couldn’t squeeze one more thing into your day, a whole festive to do list gets piled on top.

When we are overwhelmed, we often turn our thoughts to ridding ourselves of what doesn’t serve us, we strike things off the list and cancel plans, all good things to do – we are big fans of a STOP DOING LIST.

However, we often forget to replace these things with something that does meet our needs and serves us well. Often because we are so rushed and our brains turn to what we can let go of rather than what to let in.

We use MRS ELF to help with this.

When we are rushed and have too much on our plates we often forget, when an opportunity arises, how to spend it well. Say the Wi-Fi fails, or a meeting gets cancelled, friends can’t make those Christmas drinks at the last minute. If you feel relief when these things happen it’s a sure sign you are suffering from overwhelm.

Consider as a parent, when was the last time you had something to do and too much time to do it in?

That is an incredibly rare occurrence. And as a result, we can become out of practice in how to spend our less busy time well. Before we know it, it has just got filled with more activity that doesn’t hold meaning for us.

The mnemonic, MRS ELF, can help you to use that time well, which feels good in the planning, the doing, as well as the after. It’s not rocket science, you will all know the advice Mrs Elf offers but we forget, particularly in times of overwhelm.

MRS ELF stands for six positive activities, each designed to nourish in simple ways.

• Meditate
  A wonderful activity to rest and refuel our overworked minds. Meditation or any mindful activity is a quick way to transform the feelings of stress and overwhelm, and its portable – we have our breath wherever we are. One simple deep breathing technique is known as box breathing. So called because the exercise’s four steps make a box shape. Try box breathing, breathe in for 4 and out for 6 imagining a visual of a rectangular box, the short sides representing the in breath and the longer sides the out breath.

• Read
  Almost everyone would like to read more. It takes just a few minutes to read a few pages. A whole chapter can usually be read in 15 minutes. Reading can reduce stress and increase perspective as the words on the page enhance our imagination and creativity.

• Sit & rest
  Do nothing mindfully, resist the phone, scrolling and screens, rest is vital for better mental health, increased concentration and memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, improved mood and even a better metabolism. Sitting and resting is not a waste of time, it is a critical investment in your wellbeing. Whilst social media can increase a sense of connection which leads to more happiness it can also increase a sense of comparison which reduces happiness.

• Exercise
  Stretch, move, walk, whatever your chosen exercise it will increase the blood flow and raise the oxygen levels in your body. And that’s why we feel so good after doing it.

• Learn
  We remain curious throughout our lives — and we can influence and enhance our development and experience of life by proactively choosing cool stuff to learn, learning it, and applying it.

• Friends
  Unless we make time with friends happen it doesn’t happen, friends help us raise our sense of belonging, connection and purpose. The key to a healthy and fulfilling life is relationships. Call instead of text, make someone’s day by connecting with them. When we play it is a rich path to connection and creativity.

Make MRS ELF your friend this Christmas and let her help you to put some of your needs first.

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Feature image credit: Photo by Jonathan Taylor on Unsplash