There’s nothing quite like the chaos of the last few weeks at work before Christmas to leave you feeling drained of energy before the turkey’s even made it into the oven. Between drama-filled Christmas parties and last-minute deadlines (that are never as urgent as they seem), there’s rarely such a thing as a peaceful ‘wind down’ at work these days.

While the era of remote working means you’ll hopefully get the chance to see out the last few hours of work before Christmas from the comfort of your own home, all the busyness that precedes the moment when you shut your laptop can make it hard to switch off and unwind.

So, to help make that transition a little easier, we asked wellbeing experts to share some simple things you can do as soon as you log off for Christmas to shake off the stress.

One of the best ways to reset your nervous system is to tap into the power of your breath. The breath and the nervous system are closely linked – rapid breathing can up-regulate the nervous system, placing us in fight-or-flight mode, while a calm nervous system can lead to a slowing of the breath. While work stress can lead to our nervous system going into that undesirable ‘fight or flight’ state, slowing our breathing can have the opposite effect.

A simple technique you can try is the physiological sigh. “This powerful technique stimulates the vagus nerve, which helps us with relaxation,” explains Dr Safia Debar, a GP at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. “Take a deep breath and, as you exhale, allow a loud sigh – releasing any tension and visualising overwhelm leaving your body. Do this as many times as you can.” 

While the first thing you want to do after you shut your laptop might not be more life admin, you’ll thank yourself later – just five minutes can make a real difference.

“An effective way to help yourself switch off is to create a physical boundary,” explains Vitality’s wellbeing coach Silvia Cordoba. “Start by tidying up your workspace, putting things to the side and out of sight, before removing all work notifications from your personal devices, logging out of your email (and setting an automated response) and switching off work phones.”

She continues: “It’s good practice to get into the habit of switching off like this on your days off during the week, not just when it comes to larger holidays.” 

If you’re finding it hard to switch off even after your work is done, it’s worth taking a moment to sit with how you’re feeling and try to understand what’s going on.

Dr Gisele Caseiras, a psychodynamic psychotherapist and co-founder of Likeminds London, suggests adopting a curious mindset towards your emotions. “Consider if the thoughts and feelings lingering around could be associated with anxiety or a sense of guilt, shame, inadequacy or anger,” she recommends.

While you don’t need to ‘deal’ with these thoughts right away (it is Christmas, after all), having that self-knowledge, and perhaps making a note of how you’re feeling, will put you in good stead to address any issues you’re facing when you do return to work. 

“Once you determine what bothers you, you may see your feelings as appropriate and understandable,” Dr Caseiras adds. “You can now re-examine your thoughts and feelings from a different perspective. Consider how your worries might be helpful to you. Is that something that you can implement to put it into action? What do your feelings tell you about yourself?” 

Christmas is a busy time, so it’s all too easy to find yourself swapping emails and meetings for present wrapping and meal prepping. But setting aside an hour between logging off and getting into Christmas mode will help you to feel a little more in control, Dr Debar says.

“Making some time for a small act of self-care like stretching, going for a walk or enjoying a warm bath can signal to your brain that it’s time to slow down, unwind and embrace the holiday spirit,” she explains. “A calming routine, even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes, helps to release any stress you’re holding onto and calm your nervous system.”

Movement can be particularly effective as it helps you to shift your attention away from the past (stress about work and deadlines) and into the present (time off for Christmas). 

Last, but by no means least, if you’re feeling a little less than festive, take a moment to boost your mood with this simple exercise recommended by Madeleine Jago, principal clinical psychologist and co-founder of Seven Lion Yard.

“This guided visualisation exercise helps you mentally revisit a past positive emotion to boost your confidence, motivation, and overall mood,” she says. “By re-living the positive emotions you can remind yourself of your strengths, capabilities, positive sense of self and build resilience for future challenges.”

How to boost your mood using guided visualisation:

1. Find a quiet space where you can sit or lie comfortably.
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to centre yourself.
3. Think of a time when you achieved something meaningful, were proud of yourself, felt excited, connected, loved, happy or any emotion that was positive and important to you.
4. Use your imagination and all your senses to re-create the event in detail. Focus on picturing the setting clearly (colours, sounds, textures, smells and tastes), recalling the actions you took step-by-step, picturing the people involved, their expressions, or supportive gestures and the emotions you felt. 
5. As you visualize, let the positive emotions fill your body. Locate these emotions in your physical sensations and notice how these feel in your body.
6. To finish, take a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.

Images: Getty