Christmas Blog #16: Let’s Celebrate Christmas – Make Those Festivities Work For You!!

• Does the thought of Christmas (or any other holiday come to that) make you feel stressed or depressed? 
• Are you struggling to get into the Christmas spirit? 
• Do you find yourself wishing it would simply come and go quietly?

For some of you celebrations can be a difficult time so don’t burden yourselves with expectations that are impossible for you to meet. There’s a lot of expectation for you to be cheerful during family, friends and work celebrations but these can also be very tense for you. If you're dreading the festivities, planning how to deal with them well in advance will help. So, here are a few tips from me to you:

1. Plan Ahead – If the Christmas gift buying experience doesn’t exactly fill you with merriment and joy, try instead to purchase gifts throughout the year. That way you can spread the cost of the gifts, avoid having to buy everything last minute and also avoid the crowds.

2. Keep Those Habits Going – If you disrupt your usual routine it's hardly surprising that you’ll feel stressed. Instead, make sure you go to bed at your usual time, get up as normal, maintain your exercise regime (if you have one) and eat as you would normally do (allowing for a few Christmas treats here and there). Whatever else you have to deal with, at least you, your mind and your body will have the benefit of consistency. 

3. Establish Those Boundaries – Sometimes, at Christmas, you have to say “no”, whether it's explaining to children that your gifts budget is limited or telling some of your relations that you won’t be visiting them this year. Know what you can and cannot do and, most importantly, make that clear to others.

Many get togethers involve time with your family. This should be good news but the reality is that your family may not be perfect (and whose is?) which can lead to stress! Here are four tips to make your Christmas festivities enjoyable if not tolerable:

• Perspective - The best thing you can do is manage your expectations and set realistic ones so that you don’t get frustrated. Whatever your “picture” of a perfect and traditional family get together is, the people you’ll be with are imperfect human beings (as we all are) so be prepared for an imperfect event:
• Assess - Ask yourself “why am I doing these things that make me feel miserable?” If you really cringe at the thought of spending time with certain people, remember that you can opt out!
• Beware of old “patterns” – time with family can reactivate old family roles and personalities. Instead of responding with your usual behaviour, “manage your state”, keep your patience and remember that you're an adult:
• You don’t need to win this battle – you may be spending time with some “difficult relations”. If that’s the case and you need to talk through your differences, pick another time when you can do it in private. Just for today, take a deep breath in and just let it all go!

And finally, as you know, Christmas always falls in the winter. Many people expect their levels of stress and depression to escalate during the winter especially during the festive season. For some, less daylight and longer hours of darkness can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is a form of depression that resolves itself as the hours of sunlight increase during the spring and summer months. SAD can be treated with light therapy – cost effective, free standing light boxes that expose you to artificial light waves, stimulating your brain into secreting serotonin – an anti-depressant and a sleep regulator. The British Seasonal Affective Disorder Association estimates that Light Therapy can be effective in 85% of cases and can reduce symptoms in under two weeks. 

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you manage your stress, depression, anxiety and/or PTSD, then why not get in touch to hear more. It would be my absolute pleasure to work with you.