Reduce stress

More serenity during the Christmas season

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The Christmas season is characterized by stress and high expectations: Presents have to be bought, Christmas parties have to be attended, deadlines have to be met and professional deadlines have to be met. In this article, author, trainer, coach, life and social counselor Narayan Kapolnek shares valuable tips on how we can reduce stress and find more serenity even during these hectic days. His approach can help us to resolve inner and outer conflicts - for greater well-being and a more reflective time in the truest sense of the word.

When stress strains interpersonal relationships
Narayan (Nary) Kapolnek grew up around an Indian yoga master and spent a lot of time in Eastern meditation temples. He was later active in top-class sport for over a decade and played in tournaments around the world for the Austrian national table tennis team. He recently launched Austria's first meditation app "Nary Meditation and Sleep" and is helping more and more people achieve inner peace, serenity and personal development with his method of "happiness conversations". 

Narayan (Nary) Kapolnek helps people achieve greater inner peace, serenity and personal development with his "Happiness Talks".

(Bild: Narayan Kapolnek)

His "Happiness Talks" offer many useful approaches that can help us now to make the Christmas season more harmonious and stress-free - especially when dealing with family, friends and colleagues, when the pressure many of us feel becomes a trigger for conflict conversations. After all, we take on the stress of Christmas precisely for people who are important to us - and yet we are so caught up in the hamster wheel that we end up treating these very people worse.

What can we do specifically? Narayan advises us to make sure that our stress levels don't get out of hand. After all, when things are bubbling inside us, this also affects our external communication. A simple technique that we can all try out: conscious abdominal breathing through the nose for two minutes three times a day. Scientific studies have shown that this breathing technique can reduce stress by up to 70 %. Breathe deeply into your belly through your nose, pause briefly and exhale slowly - even this short pause creates inner peace and lays the foundation for a more harmonious relationship.

Conscious abdominal breathing through the nose for 2 minutes three times a day can reduce stress by up to 70 %.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Lower expectations - for more inner serenity
Stress and arguments are often triggered by high expectations of the perfect Christmas. Narayan recommends becoming aware of these expectations and adjusting them. Clarify for yourself what is really important to you and communicate your wishes clearly. Reduce unrealistic expectations. Instead of striving for perfection, focus on the essentials: Time together and fulfilling encounters.

Small happiness conversations help: take the time to listen carefully to the person you are talking to and really engage with them for just a few minutes. This way, you are mentally present during conversations, listen attentively to the other person and automatically let go of thoughts about to-do lists. And if the mood is tense, a short break or a conscious breath will help you stay calm. The coach is convinced that this can turn every encounter into a little happy conversation.

The Christmas season doesn't have to be a stress trap.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Christmas time doesn'thave to be a stress trap
 Christmas time doesn't have to be a stress trap. With Narayan's "Happiness Conversations" approach, you can turn the days around Christmas and the entire following year into a time of mindfulness, encounters and happiness.

In the "Happiness Conversations Compact" seminar, coach Narayan (Nary) Kapolnek shows you how to consciously transform inner and outer conflict conversations into happiness conversations - for more inner peace, serenity and well-being throughout the year.

(Bild: Narayan Kapolnek)

If you would like to delve deeper into "happiness conversations", we recommend Narayan's book of the same name. Another - and even more personal - opportunity is the next "Happiness Conversations Compact" seminar on February 15 and 16, 2025.