Surviving Christmas

For many, Christmas is a time for festivities, interacting with friends and family, giving and receiving presents, and overindulging. It can be a time to reflect on the year that’s been and to be grateful for everything we have. It’s a special and magical time of year. However, this is not the case for all. In fact, many people describe Christmas as a stressful and unenjoyable time of year. Christmas can be overwhelming, and bring feelings of inadequacies or loneliness. We can also feel pressure to meet more obligations and commitments than we have time, and to spend more money than we have.  

So how do we survive Christmas if it isn’t everything it’s described as in those beautiful festive movies?

Keep it simple

Be realistic with what you can achieve, and unfortunately this might mean having to decline invitations. Remember, ‘no’, isn’t a dirty word. We can place so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and ensure everyone has the best Christmas yet. This is a good time to re-evaluate what’s important and make plans in line with these values.

 Consider who you want to spend your time with

There are some people we look forward to catching up with over Christmas. They help us recharge our batteries and we leave feeling energised. However, there are also people that leave us feeling exhausted. Consider the impact on your wellbeing if you catch up with these people when you’re already feeling overwhelmed. Can you limit these interactions to a quick coffee, or bring a friend along to buffer the tension? Or can you see them in January when you have more resilience?

 Delegate

We are all guilty of taking on too much responsibility and trying to create the perfect Christmas for our family, or whoever we are spending this time with. This can breed resentment and result in unnecessary conflict. Write a list of all the tasks required for Christmas to run smoothly (or as smoothly as Christmas can run) and give people tasks or jobs to do either in the lead up to, or on the day. Share the load, most people are more than happy to help out, they just don’t know how to.

Find time for yourself  

It can be very overwhelming trying to fit everything in. Make sure you schedule time for yourself. What do you need? Whether it’s going for a walk in the morning, a bath before bed, or an entire evening off from commitments. Everyone’s ability to take time is different, ask your family to support and respect this. It might be challenging at the start, but this is a great practice to get into, and once you embed it in your routine it will become a familiar habit for everyone.

 Get support

Christmas can bring up a whole range of emotions, and these might be difficult to process alone. If this is the case for you, speak with a trusted friend and let them know you’re struggling. You never know, they might be struggling also. If this isn’t for you, speak with your GP. Your GP can assist with additional supports which might take the form of medication or psychological support, or in many cases both can be helpful to address these issues.