Christmas Anxiety

I hope you have a very merry Christmas, or, if you don’t support Christmas you have a very relaxing holiday season!

Christmas can also be the most stressful time as family and friends make endless demands on us and our finances are stretched to the limits.

So what happens for those of us that suffer from anxiety? Well, we can drink too much wine and try to forget about it! But better still why not make some space for yourself each day over the holiday period. And if those around you have expectations of what you will be doing for them during that time explain to them that you will not be doing anything for them, you will be looking after yourself, and that they will have to entertain/cook for themselves.

Be firm and harsh if you need to, and don’t let yourself feel guilty. You need space. Why not take a walk, read a book, or speak to a friend. And if the work mounts up switch of the TV and collar your nearest and dearest and make them do some of the work to. You are not a Christmas slave. Anxiety is sometimes repressed emotion, and working when we think others should be helping can make us angry and antsy. This can manifest as anxiety so be sure to allow yourself to let off steam.

Also, at Christmas our diet tends to be bad. Lots of cakes and sugar and alcohol. These blood sugar fluctuations are not terribly good for the anxiety sufferer. Try to balance your diet as much as possible, and if you can slow your eating a bit you will probably give yourself the chance to feel full earlier. By avoiding bloating you may well lessen your anxiety which for me often has digestive roots.

So, please stay calm safe and anxiety this Christmas by watching your diet and taking control when others want you for a slave. As for the financial anxieties, let me just say that in my experience children understand much more than we think about money, and when they have things explained to them they have a surprising ability to understand financial hardship. Admitting to your kids that there is just not enough money is better than getting into debt!

Merry anxiety free Christmas!

 

Tom

One thought on “Christmas Anxiety

  1. Great advice, thanks. So far my Christmas has been relatively anxiety free. I do have some homework I need to catch up on, which has been stressing me a bit, but I’m hoping to get it done tomorrow and Friday.

    Merry Christmas to you and best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.

    Dave

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