11 PARTY SEASON TRICKS TO GET YOU THROUGH

The end-of-year season really is a beautiful time, when everyone on the tube seems to miraculously be in a good mood, Christmas tunes sing out from shops, cafés and TV ads, and the general goodwill ramps up all around us. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to connect and reconnect with family, friends and coworkers outside of a soulless meeting room. It’s a lot of fun, but it also takes a toll on our wellbeing, as we’re encouraged to overdo it on shopping, food, drink, merriment, and the pressure of getting it all done. A little indulgence is great and a deserved treat after you’ve worked so hard the whole year through, but it quickly becomes too much for our bodies and minds to handle — which explains why so many people get ill come January.

With a little help from Ayurveda (and trial and error!), I’ve managed to make party season that much easier on the system, and the time of peace and joy it should be as we wind down from the go-go-go rhythm of the work year. I’ve put together some (well… 11 actually) tips for you to enjoy your time with loved ones, as well as yourself, without upsetting your wellbeing.

1. GO FOR GROUNDING, WELL COOKED, EASY TO DIGEST FOODS

As Vata autumn-winter begins to move into Kapha winter-spring, it’s more important than ever to nurture your digestion with freshly cooked, grounding, seasonal, easy to digest foods. Think root veggies and healthy fats, and load up on well cooked veggies. Try not to do too much raw in this cold season as it can be harder to digest and tax the system. Have easy to digest comfort food recipes up your sleeves; soups are the best way of packing in the veg while being deliciously satisfying, slurpy and belly warming.

2. PREP YOUR DIGESTION

Be aware of your digestive capacity. This is a time when sweets, choccies and cakes flood the office and we’re prone to becoming mindless snackers. If this sounds like a phenomenon you recognise, remember that there is plenty where that comes from and pace yourself — the first mince pie is always exciting, as is the second, the third and the fourth, but don’t OD before you hit Christmas! You can get so much more enjoyment from eating a biscuit or pie slowly and mindfully just by savouring it rather than by gulping down 2 or 3 in the same space of time. Meanwhile, prep your digestion for any imbalances that can affect it this season — have these 3 recipes (blog post coming soon! Watch this space.) on hand to do some damage control.

3. STAY HYDRATED

Between central heating and lots of booze, it’s easy to get dehydrated during the festive season. One habit that sees me through the winter (and much of the year, as well) is always bringing an insulated flask of hot water with me when I’m on the go — especially at this cold time of year when I often forget to drink, and food is more often on my mind. Ayurveda tells us that we should only drink hot beverages, as cold and room temperature drinks dampen the Agni (digestive fire), but there are also more obvious advantages to it: it will warm you up in the cold weather, as well as helping your skin glow.

4. GET YOUR COSY ON

This season is a funny one: at the same time as parties abound and the stress of sorting presents or hosting Christmas lunch mounts, we’re naturally drawn towards cosiness, warmth, rest… in one word: hygge! Make sure to balance the fast pace of your social engagements with some much-needed self-care. Book in grounding sessions — yin yoga, hatha yoga, candlelight yoga, breath workshops, meditation sessions, sound baths, or if you can’t get to a physical venue, try some of my favourite YouTube videos for yoga, meditation and breathing exercises. Reclaim your balance, your energy and your efficiency!

5. MAKE YOUR BATHROOM A SPA

Treat yourself to a self-massage, Abhyanga with warm oils, as a great way to wind down for an evening followed by a candlelit bath. Mmmh, bliss. For a ritual that takes a bit less time, you can give yourself an aromatherapy foot massage before bed — a lovely way to relax and get sleepy.

6. TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF

Every year it feels like Christmas gets bigger (and seems to start earlier!), but bigger is not necessarily better and in fact it can start to wear us thin  — you can certainly have too much of a good thing. As with all things in your life, Ayurveda recommends finding the balance, so I'm inspired by a more Scandi approach when it comes to decorating with beautiful pieces from nature and only bringing items into the home with a story, rather than plastic glitter and STUFF overload. There's no doubting that I'm a maximalist when it comes to interiors (check out pics of my place and all the objects and art I've picked up from charity shops, carboots and my travels), but I try to remind myself often as per Vastu and feng shui to think about the energy of the place — and too much tat, or even high-end tat, is just information overload. I find with my supper clubs, retreats and sound baths that just by telling a story around simple dishes or gifts that might otherwise go unnoticed, a new level of appreciation opens up — it’s about going deeper with fewer things rather than drowning in a mountain of stuff that you can barely recall a month later. On that note:

7. DON’T GET SUCKED INTO THE CONSUMER VOID

This is a tricky one as many of us will be dealing with friends, family and certainly children with a certain level of expectation. And you don’t want to feel like a scrooge... or be too scared to look at your bank balance. I don’t want to sound like an old person but back in my day, we would only get a few gifts and it was just so exciting, but now I watch people's eyes glaze over with more “stuff” (and I say this as a “stuff”-loving person). On the plus side, it’s great to hear that Gen-Z, the new generation, is less bothered about what they own and more into experiences... no need for Marie Kondo to sort out their rooms, then! So do make a list of people that you want to gift, and take a moment to think about what it is you’d like to share or what you think they might be looking for themselves — consult their partners, other friends or parents if you need a helping hand.

Gifting feels good and is a symbolic gesture, but it has to be within your means and the idea that your gift will simply languish in their house or landfill now gives many of us the heebie-jeebies. My close friends and I have agreed not to gift — unless it’s to contribute to a gathering (check out this ginger cookie recipe you can make for your friends and pack in a pretty jar or tin) — and just focus on gifting for birthdays where they don’t all come at once! For my friends’ children, I look for something special in charity shops and carboots, and I'm noticing that this is becoming more of a badge of honour amongst my circle than it once was — whether the item is still brand new or pre-loved!! I save and reuse wrapping paper and make my own gift tags (since so much of the thrill of gifting is how it’s presented). I’m so happy to say that those makeshift ways passed down from a frugal family are finally back in vogue now that we’re becoming more conscious consumers and looking to be more respectful to Mother Earth, after a post-war two fingers up to the planet that's gone on for the last 60 or so years.

For my mum, I tend to gather a goody bag of bits throughout the year that I know she will use — she says she doesn't need anything, so practical is best. If I don’t feel like I’ve gathered quite enough I’ll throw in a massage or facial and then frog march her there so that she doesn’t give the voucher away or forget about it (don’t worry she always loves it once it’s actually happening). For family and friends that I’m visiting, if they don’t want a contribution of sorts for the entertainment and food that day, I’ll scour the internet for something eco, luxe and chic — and I’m glad to say that yes these words now go together! Check out my Christmas shopping ideas list — coming soon!

8. HAVE A GIGGLE

Make like Christmas adverts on the telly and have a good ‘ol giggle with your friends and family! ‘Tis the season to be jolly, after all, and laughing while surrounded by your nearest and dearest is a lovely way to take care of yourself. Plus, a good belly laugh releases endorphins in the brain (that’s one of the happiness hormones!) and helps to relieve stress, so it’s quite literally the best medicine — totally portable and free to boot!

9. EAT EARLY

This goes for your daily rhythm of eating throughout the year, using the Ayurvedic principles of respecting your digestive capacity, but it’s worth really getting to grips with it in the holidays when food abounds: eat early, with your main meal of the day at lunchtime — it’s a life saver, allows you to digest and the body time to repair and recover come evening even if you are running on limited sleep, so I’m reclaiming lunchtime as the celebration meal time. Or I’ll do brunch around 11, and earmark 4 p.m. for feasting — that's what we end up doing on Christmas day and it works!

10. COOK WITH THE 6 TASTES OF AYURVEDA

For your festive menus, start with dessert as it satisfies the taste buds, and make sure all your meals have the six Tastes — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent — as this will also satisfy your hunger without leading to post-meal cravings. I love lots of little sides of flavour, chutneys like this ginger-cranberry one, sambols, etc. You eat first with your eyes, so think about how you can achieve a riot of colour and texture, and then your nose, so be sure to use nature's medicine cabinet in your cooking; fragrant spices to start the digestion process the moment guests walk through the door — in East by West, try Filipino Vegetable Adobo (page 130), Tamarind Courgette and Parsnip Curry on Cauliflower ‘Rice’ (page 133), Sesame Roast Chicken With Savoy Cabbage and Tomato Gravy (page 134), Coconut, Squash, Lentil and Leek Curry With Rainbow Chard (page 162), Vegetable Soba Noodle Soup With Miso Bone Broth (page 171), Pizza Pudas (page 204), Kitchari (page 184)...

11. ENJOY A TRADITIONAL ROAST DINNER!

A traditional roast dinner, freshly made and home cooked with love, is actually the perfect meal, so don't feel you have to reinvent the wheel!! Whether you choose to have meat or not, all of those veggie sides help to amp up the nutrition and fibre amidst a sea of commercial sweet treats. Seasonal veggies simply done, with a delicious gravy or sauce is the ticket. The world — or rather your local farmers market — is your oyster. Last year, I loved these carrot ribbons and cabbage greens, and check out this gravy. If you’re looking for a veggie main dish, then try this easy showstopper. If you’re looking for a traditional roast, try ordering straight from the farm for a cost-effective way to pay for high-quality meat of good provenance and welfare — and to support the farmers who believe in a better world. This year I’ll be ordering from Coombe Farm Organic.