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Coping with Christmas
December 21, 2011
The Mental Wellbeing Service
'Tis the Season to be Jolly….., but sometimes we might not be feeling very jolly and Christmas can be a stressful time for anyone. But it can be particularly difficult if you are living with mental health problems, going through a down period, feeling pressured to behave in a certain way or if it brings up difficult memories.
Feeling alone at Christmas, dealing with complex family issues, managing on a tight budget, worrying about assignments or simply taking on too much can all have an impact on mental health.
A Christmas workshop at one local Mind project project revealed that most people’s concerns were emotional, rather than practical or financial, and a common complaint was being pressured into spending Christmas in a way they knew they wouldn’t enjoy. How would you like to spend Christmas? How can you make this happen and avoid any guilt or resentment? The group discussed assertiveness skills for dealing with families, identifying a family member who is most approachable and discussing possible changes and alternative plans with them.
For those who do not feel able to assert their wishes about plans for Christmas, for example telling the family they’d rather go away with friends or spend Christmas day quietly at home, suggestions included planning a special treat for the new year. Perhaps a trip to the January sales, a weekend break or a special meal out to give yourself something to look forward to and remind yourself that you deserve to do things that you enjoy?
If you are experiencing stress or anxiety over the festive period, you could try the following:
December 21, 2011
The Mental Wellbeing Service
'Tis the Season to be Jolly….., but sometimes we might not be feeling very jolly and Christmas can be a stressful time for anyone. But it can be particularly difficult if you are living with mental health problems, going through a down period, feeling pressured to behave in a certain way or if it brings up difficult memories.
Feeling alone at Christmas, dealing with complex family issues, managing on a tight budget, worrying about assignments or simply taking on too much can all have an impact on mental health.
A Christmas workshop at one local Mind project project revealed that most people’s concerns were emotional, rather than practical or financial, and a common complaint was being pressured into spending Christmas in a way they knew they wouldn’t enjoy. How would you like to spend Christmas? How can you make this happen and avoid any guilt or resentment? The group discussed assertiveness skills for dealing with families, identifying a family member who is most approachable and discussing possible changes and alternative plans with them.
For those who do not feel able to assert their wishes about plans for Christmas, for example telling the family they’d rather go away with friends or spend Christmas day quietly at home, suggestions included planning a special treat for the new year. Perhaps a trip to the January sales, a weekend break or a special meal out to give yourself something to look forward to and remind yourself that you deserve to do things that you enjoy?
If you are experiencing stress or anxiety over the festive period, you could try the following:
- Do one thing at a time. Make a list of the things that you need to do to prepare for Christmas and get any coursework completed, and decide which is the most important. Do that one thing and forget about everything on the list for the time being. Then prioritise the next thing and so on. As you achieve each thing the rest of your list will seem easier. Try learning an actual time-management technique.
- Take a bit of time out for yourself. Even if it is just 15 or 20 minutes it will help. Use this time to lose yourself in something completely unconnected to Christmas; read a book, watch part of a favourite DVD, listen to some music, for example. Physical activity can help; try going for a walk or a bike ride. Or pamper yourself with a long bath, a night out at the cinema or treat yourself to a massage.
- Try some simple relaxation techniques techniques.
- Talk about your anxieties with someone else like a friend or relative. Talking about the things that are worrying you can help you to realise that some of them aren’t so important after all, and help you to focus on one or two things that are at the root of your worry.
- Don’t place yourself under unnecessary pressure. At Christmas we often put ourselves under a huge amount of pressure searching for the perfect gifts, planning a perfect day. We need to remember that we are not perfect, that perfectionism is impossible to achieve and we shouldn’t expect too much of ourselves.
- Keeping things in perspective is important. Compare your worries with those of others, or imagine how unimportant the stress of Christmas preparations will seem in a couple of months’ time or even in a couple of weeks’ time.
