4 Ways to Survive Christmas
Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And I don’t say that with my tongue in my cheek. I’m a winter baby through and through and with my birthday a week before Christmas I might get just a little bit excited at this time of the year. But excitement and happiness don’t take away the fact that this can also be a stressful time of the year for a lot of us. Whether it’s having to work until the very last minute, or spending time with extended family who aren’t always our biggest fans – there’s a lot going on over the festive season. And even if it’s all smooth sailing, the pressure for everything to be ‘perfect’ can actually ruin a completely lovely time.
My own struggles with anxiety sometimes means that even when I’m surrounded by my loved ones and having a great time, I can suddenly nosedive into feeling really awful. Despite all the good stuff around me. This is where I start implementing strategies to manage my stress and anxiety before it can get to that point. And to mitigate it if it does rear it’s ugly head. These strategies can work for any kind of stress, and you can use the framework and ideas as a starting off point to tailor some for yourself.
1. Carve out time for yourself
- I don’t know about you, but during any festive season there is a sort of pressure to always be ‘on’ and constantly with people. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and friends, but I also need to recharge. Even my most extroverted friends have to retreat sometimes and find their peace. So try and make sure that every day you get a bit of time to yourself. Whether it’s a ritual of walking the dog or going for a run, taking a bath or even turning in to bed early for your favourite movie.
- These minutes or hours of personal time mean you can sit with your own thoughts, relax, and come back to the group ready for some joyful socialising.
2. Don’t try and do too much
- Okay, I know I’m a bad one for this (too many Christmas movies and Pinterest inspiration for this girl). But remember – whether you are religious or not – this is a time of the year for warmth, good food, and spending time with your loved ones. It’s not actually more complicated than that. So stay true to your own lifestyle – if you’re not the sort of person to eat a massive feast everyday then don’t do it! If you like things low key then you don’t have to throw a big dinner party.
- Keeping things simple means you can maintain your calm while still enjoying yourself. And the people around you will feel that atmosphere and have more fun too. We all know how stressful it is when you’re a guest and the host or hostess is freaking out!
3. Remember, you can say no
- Much like my previous point, you need to keep sight of your personal boundaries. Just because its a holiday doesn’t mean you have to step too far away from your normal lifestyle or routine. Even if you have guests or are someone’s guest then you are completely allowed to maintain your sanity by keeping to some simple daily routines. And you can always opt out of options for the day. Maybe the group all wants to go out for a walk – you can politely decline and stay at home to take a nap, read a book, or catch up with a favourite tv show.
- This links to taking some time for yourself as well!
4. Talk about it
- Depending on who you’re with you can just get it out in the open that you’re a little stressed – and hopefully they will step in and help you out. Maybe it’s your partner taking the children out to the park for an hour, or someone helping prepare food, or even your friend meeting you for a quick catch up to get out of the house and just have a giggle.
- Getting it out in the open always reduces stress. It works wonders for my anxiety just letting the people I’m with know that I’m struggling a little bit. It means that the people around you can support you, whether its by giving big cuddles or giving you some space. Trusting our friends and loved ones to have our backs is what this time of year is all about so don’t be afraid to get it off your chest. Not to mention we are all feeling a similar way usually so once you break the silence everyone will probably share, and the pressure will be taken off everybody’s shoulders!
So, those are my four key ways to reduce my stress and survive Christmas with a smile on my face. I hope you find it useful – it’s mostly common sense but sometimes we need reminding of the obvious when things get out of the ordinary. I’d love to hear how you stay sane at busy times of the year, or how you get on this Christmas using my ideas!
Love, Isobel x
