Usually by the time Christmas rolls around, i’m really tired, very stressed out, and often feeling very unhealthy indeed! Lots of social events, work projects that need completing before the annual pilgrimage to the UK, and not enough sleep – not a good combo for the body and soul. Especially when you throw in a 12 hour flight, twice in 10 days!

So this year, i thought i’d try a slightly different approach, as i needed to get back into balance. But no Blueprint Cleanse craziness for me, (although I hear great things about it, and might try it to kickstart next year). I needed something a little more accessible. That meant cutting out alcohol for a good couple of weeks, getting more quality sleep, cooking and eating home-cooked food (one of my life goals from a while back), and trying to focus on productivity vs worry at work. Nothing major, and nothing radical. But small steps toward a more balanced life, and good preparation for the guaranteed frenetic pace of Christmas in the UK.

It also meant taking control of some of the worries that overall anxiety can give rise to. That nagging fear of flying that cropped up a couple years ago, the recognition that I could be eating better. You get the drift.

So, a few weeks on, how did i do? Pretty good actually! Here are a few of the things that really worked for me:

  • Drinking delicious juices, fancy (healthier versions of) sodas, and grape juices that, poured into a beautiful wine glass, can almost pass as the real thing! Try Trader Joes’ French Berry Lemonade or Wine Country Soda for a non-headache inducing way to relax
  • Not feeling guilty about ‘just hanging out’ – trust me, i always have a personal to do list as long as my arm, but after Thanksgiving, I was so burnt out from various things that I literally holed up on the sofa and watched TV all day. Would I want to do that forever? No. Did it feel good to have nothing to do for a little while? Yes!
  • Finding little treats that wouldn’t derail my good intentions completely. This is a British thing, but I’ve been eating delicious little 100 calorie pack of Maltesers – sooo good and chocolatey, but not as much of the guilt…
  • Taking evening walks with Rick and Sophie. I have to confess that weirdly enough, my slightly healthier lifestyle hasn’t necessarily coincided with going to the gym a lot. I think I need to find a new way to work out actually. Gym has kinda burned me out, after all these years. So, a brisk evening walk with my two favorite housemates has been a great way to work out a little and more importantly, de-stress from the day
  • Going for a consultation with a nutritionist. No decisions made yet (there are too many delicious baked goods in my office to start a real healthy eating kick!), but I have all the information i need to commit to sessions in the new year, which feels good
  • And on the topic of ‘knowledge is power’, i finally attended a ‘Fear of Flying’ clinic at San Francisco Airport. To my surprise, the clinic was full of women just like me. Professional, intelligent, rational women, who suddenly had a fear creep up after many, many years of happy flying. I could never work out what sparked this a few years ago, but it was a very practical, useful day and I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to take control and arm themselves with the facts they need to enjoy flying and travel again

I hope I can keep up some of these things into next year. I’ve found they’ve really helped me a lot. But I still have a long way to go! A diet and exercise overhaul is next, and after the huge slice of pizza I ate today for lunch, there’s clearly some work I have to do! Plus, we’re now entering the real danger zone of the festive season of excess – work parties, friends’ cocktail bashes, visiting family and friends in the UK (and you know how much English people love pubs!). So, i can’t promise anything, but at least I’m going into it feeling good! Wish me luck…