And down went the president’s gavel at the recent final plenary session at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, signifying agreement to a negotiated item on the UN climate change agenda. The session was dramatic and emotionally charged.

Columbia was furious. They had expressly asked for the floor to raise an objection before the gavelling but had been ignored. Now it was too late.

So why were they ignored?

Put simply, the president wasn’t made aware of their request (and others) to take the floor.

He made a mistake.

What followed was a demonstration of humility, vulnerability and leadership when he magnanimously owned up to the mistake, taking full responsibility, saying,

“As many of you, I have not slept and probably this has not helped, as well as my advanced age.”

We can unwittingly invite drama and high emotions into our lives when we are under slept and the stakes are high.

There’s no doubt that when emotions are high and dysregulated, thinking is low.

Ergo we can make bad judgements and decisions, become reactive, irritable, moody defensive and say the wrong thing. Our daytime functioning can be impaired. Relationships can fray.

Good sleep is essential, especially when the stakes are high, and when there’s ‘gavelling to be done.’

Christmas, the most stressful holiday period in our calendar, is a high-stake time. A time when rest and good sleep can elude us. All manner of pressures abound.

It’s also a time when alcohol consumption usually goes up, significantly impacting REM sleep, the mood regulator, which in turn can fuel existing violent behaviours.

So, to ‘give peace a chance’ and not just survive but maybe even thrive over the period, make it a priority to put some decent ZZs in the merry mix. It’s just one of many healthy stress relief strategies you can employ to help you navigate the way.

And lastly, before I hit the gavel on this post for the final time this year, let me wish you all a well-orchestrated lead up to the holidays so you can enjoy a relatively stress-free time when they arrive.

Going, going gone…

With love,