The first Christmas was undoubtedly a stressful time for Mary and Joseph – being forced to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, at a time when Mary was heavily pregnant, and then finding that there was no accommodation available, just as Mary went into labour. This was probably a more stressful experience than many of us will ever know.
For many people, Christmas is a happy time, but for some, however, Christmas simply increases their anxiety beyond its normal limits.
Christmas Stressors
Here are just some of the things that add stress during the Christmas period:
- Buying, wrapping and posting gifts and cards – all within a strict timeframe
- Managing the extra costs involved with celebrating Christmas
- Attending the many social occasions (which is particularly stressful for the more introverted)
- Balancing the expectations of different members of the wider family
- Doing the gift-giving, cooking, washing up, cleaning up the mess etc etc on the day
- Feeling obliged to mix with relatives who you don’t really get on with
- Regrets over drinking and eating too much of the wrong things
Of course, for some people there is an added loneliness of spending Christmas alone, or maybe it’s a time when they remember a loved one they have lost.
Whether you love it or loathe it, Christmas undoubtedly adds to everyone’s stress levels. And some can cope with it better than others.
The Christmas Impact on Anxiety
For those that suffer from anxiety, Christmas is often particularly difficult. The additional stress that Christmas adds to our lives simply exacerbates the anxiety that is already there.
Stress and anxiety go hand-in-hand. Everyone has stresses every day, some big and some small. It’s as if we have a bucket of stress inside us that is constantly being filled. When it gets too full, we respond with the symptoms of anxiety. So adding the extra stresses of Christmas exacerbates the situation.
How to Survive Christmas Anxiety
The first thing that I would recommend is to prioritise your own mental health. So maybe you forgot to buy the stuffing, perhaps Aunt Hilda is annoyed that you sent her the same gift as last year, and maybe your in-laws are upset because didn’t go round to see them on Boxing Day. Well that’s just tough – other people will just have to put up with it – your own mental health is more important than conforming to other people’s expectations.
Plan as much as you can in advance, and make sure you plan in some downtime for you. Maybe plan in a couple of hours when you can just go for a walk on your own – and make sure you let everyone know that you need some “me-time”.
Think about what you would really like to do at Christmas – not what other people expect you to do. What sort of Christmas would you really like if no-one else objected? Imagine it – what would you be doing, what would you eat, who would you see (if anyone)? Now negotiate with your family to see which bits of your ideal Christmas you can include in Christmas this year.
And Finally …
If you are struggling to cope with your anxiety, if you cannot keep it under control on your own, or if you simply want a bit of help … you can always book a few sessions with me. I run my hypnotherapy clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and specialise in helping people with anxiety to get their lives back in control again.
References
YouGov poll on Christmas and mental health
https://yougov.co.uk/health/articles/26954-christmas-harms-mental-health-quarter-brits
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash