As we draw closer to Christmas, how are you feeling? Do you feel prepared and have a plan ? Or are you filled with anxiety or worry or even dreading it?
A few weeks back I attended my local Recovery College ‘s “Coping with Christmas” online course. This has helped me to think about how practically I want us as a family to do Christmas this year & in a way that brings some joy rather than mainly stress.
Some tips to manage stress :
- Breaking tasks down into small steps, e.g. cooking Christmas dinner.
- Make a Christmas budget so that you don’t overspend. Include presents, food, travel, trips, donations, etc. & any extra costs you may have over the Christmas period.
- Think about the things you find most difficult over the Christmas period., e.g. finances, relationship, emotions, health wise). Write them down. For each one, come up with how you can overcome this difficulty.
- What are the good things you enjoy about Christmas? List them. Look at them when you feel stressed, overwhelmed or anxious to remember the positives.
- Boundaries : Think about what is manageable & what’s not. Be clear with family/ friends and stick to these.
- Self care: What activities will relax & recharge you ? Diarise time to do them, e.g. exercise, quiet time, have a hot chocolate or chat to a friend.
- When you start to feel stressed, what helps you to destress? For me, doing some deep breathing or mindfulness really helps in the moment.
- Be kind to yourself. How is your self-talk in your head? Is it negative or self-critical? Stop yourself if you notice unhelpful thinking and write it down. Would you speak to a friend like this? What’s a more kind way to speak to yourself? Say this to yourself instead. If you notice these negative thoughts are constant or your mood has been low for more than 2 weeks, this is the time to get help. Make an appointment with your doctor. Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) may help.
As a Christian, I also find reminding myself that what we’re really celebrating here is the birth of Jesus. He came down to earth, fully God, yet fully human, to restore our relationship with Him. Putting my focus back on God can put all the other tasks into perspective.
Reflecting on what you’d like Christmas to be like this year, after such a different 2020 to what we expected, how are you going to prepare for Christmas? How can you put your focus back on God?
Mental Health Awareness Trainer and Blogger 
All great tips Anita.
I’d add a couple more:
1. Talk as a family about what you each need. We did this last year when mental health was fragile for all of us and identified the need for alone time. This meant we didn’t worry when someone said they needed to go an chill out in their room and they weren’t frustrated by being checked up on.
2. Don’t just break the cooking down in to smaller tasks but share those tasks out! Christmas dinner prep (and I do go a bit mad with an elaborate dinner!) has become increasingly shared over the years for us – and that’s become a joy in itself.
Hope these tips help too.
Thanks, Princess! These are also good tips for managing the Christmas meal and having time out. I did mention quiet time in one point, but space is important too.