Christmas is a rollercoaster.
It can be twinkly, wholesome, cinnamon-themed joy…
Or it can be an emotional Hunger Games with fairy lights.

Every year we tell ourselves that this time we’ll be calm, serene, the sort of person who glides around in a cashmere wrap humming “Silent Night.” But unfortunately, Christmas comes with a cocktail of biological stress triggers: social overwhelm, family dynamics, disrupted routines, over-stimulated brains, under-rested bodies, and pavlova-induced blood sugar chaos.

So let’s find ways to protect your peace this year - not with vague platitudes, but with actual neuroscience.

1. Your nervous system is not chaotic - it’s responding to stimulus overload

If your inner world feels frazzled in December, you’re not alone. The nervous system reads every extra demand as potential threat:

• More people = more social decoding
• More noise = overstimulation
• More pressure = cortisol uptick
• More sugar = blood sugar rollercoaster
• Less sleep = emotional dysregulation
• Family dynamics = a full psychological reboot you did not order on Amazon

Your parasympathetic system (the calm one) is basically waving a tiny white flag while your sympathetic system (the fight-or-flight one) is wrapping presents at 3am and debating the merits of one baileys to 'take the edge off'.

Our mission: bring the body back into safety - repeatedly, gently, and strategically.

2. The Calm Trinity: Breath, Boundaries, and Blood Sugar

These three things protect your peace more effectively than gold-leaf journal prompts or bubble baths lit by £42 candles.

BREATH -Your portable parasympathetic lever

Box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, or simply exhaling longer than you inhale immediately nudges your vagus nerve into “it’s safe to calm down” mode. It’s not woo-woo - it’s science. Try it.

Useful when:
Someone loudly announces they “don’t like that kind of stuffing” or "can you just pop to the big Tesco for some nutmeg" on Christmas Eve.

BOUNDARIES - AKA Peace Insurance

Modern neuroscience agrees: people-pleasing overload spikes cortisol faster than caffeine.

Boundary examples that protect your peace:

• “I’ll join later, start without me”
• “No thank you, that's kind of you to offer though”
  
• "Boris the beagle just needs a quick walk around the park"

It sounds simple & petty, but pre planning what to say, to who & when, can help prevent people pleasing tendencies when ambushed. Boris will love you if you execute this right.

BLOOD SUGAR - The unspoken villain of festive chaos

Spikes and crashes make you anxious, irritable, and emotionally flimsy. Stabilising with protein, fat, fibre, or simply drinking water before Prosecco prevents the meltdown-snowball from rolling downhill. Porridge with a sprinkle of cinnamon, berries & nuts is literally the unsung breakfast hero for blood sugar regulation.

3. Why your brain gets emotionally louder at Christmas

Your brain loves patterns, and Christmas is a pattern minefield. Smells, songs, foods, family faces, conversations - all these things activate stored memories, some lovely, some… less so.

This is called neuro-associative activation, and it explains why a single bauble can make you feel something you last felt aged nine.

If you get hit with an emotional wave, remember:
It’s a memory, not a prophecy. It’s your brain playing Netflix reruns, not forecasting your future. You & your brother are no longer competing to be the lead in an impromptu nativity show.

4. Calm Chemistry: How your body actually calms down

This is where your Acqua - The Relaxation Blend earns its name. Each ingredient supports specific neurological pathways that help your system regulate rather than escalate.

Valerian Root - The nervous system soother

One of nature’s oldest & most researched calming botanicals. It supports GABA activity (the “slow down” neurotransmitter), helping to soften restlessness and unwind tension.

Ashwagandha - The stress thermostat

This adaptogen helps regulate cortisol - meaning you don’t get yanked into stress-spikes as easily. Perfect for buffering the emotional turbulence of December.

L-Tryptophan - The serotonin precursor

This essential amino acid is used to build serotonin (mood stabiliser) and melatonin (sleep hormone). Translation: it helps restore balance, emotional steadiness, and healthy sleep cycles.

Vitamin B6 - The neurotransmitter helper

B6 is required for serotonin and GABA synthesis - without it, your relaxation chemistry is basically trying to work with missing LEGO pieces.

Vitamin C - The adrenal support queen

Stress eats through Vitamin C. Replenishing it supports nervous-system resilience, reduces fatigue, and keeps your adrenals from waving a tiny “Merry Crisis” sign.

Together?
They create a scientifically grounded relaxation response - not sedation, not numbing, just balance. Exactly what Christmas secretly requires.

5. The “Micro-Calm” rule: tiny actions beat dramatic ones

Christmas peace rarely comes from a big gesture. It comes from:

• Two deep breaths before answering something provocative
• A glass of water before round three of champagne
• One small walk outside.. hello Boris
• A quiet room for five minutes
• Choosing not to engage in Aunt Carol’s annual speech about life decisions she herself abandoned in 1998

Micro-calms accumulate. Your nervous system responds to repetition, not intensity, or vodka.

6. Your Peace Plan for Christmas Day 

Morning:
Hydrate, eat something with protein, do 30 seconds of deep breathing, set one internal boundary (“I leave the room whenever I need to.”)

Afternoon:
Choose calm food anchors (protein + fibre), take a micro walk, don’t debate politics, redirect chaos with humour.

Evening:
Lower lights, lower volume, slow breathing, let your system downshift. Calm chemistry thrives in dim lighting.

7. Final thought: Peace is not passive - it’s chosen repeatedly

Christmas doesn’t need you perfect. It needs you regulated. Your nervous system is your home, and peace is the practice of returning to it, again and again, even when the world is wearing novelty polyester jumpers and questioning your cranberry sauce technique.

Protect your peace. Guard your calm. Build your joy with science - not pressure.

And maybe let Valerian, Ashwagandha, L-Tryptophan, B6 and Vitamin C quietly run defence for your nervous system in the background.

Discover more about these ingredients here

Your 2026 self will thank you.

If you'd like to give Acqua a try, Click Here 

Or, If you fancy turning Acqua into a mindful mocktail, Click Here

If you liked this, Discover more natural ways to unwind here

I hope that helps!

Wishing You a Merry Festive Season,

Eirian x