Avoid Christmas Stress

For many people, Christmas heralds stress. Throughout December we can feel pressured to be wonderful hosts, entertain friends and loved ones, and yet remain calm amid chaos. Yet much of the tension we feel during the Christmas season is a direct result of our own expectations. In our efforts to please others and to craft the ultimate celebration, we overextend ourselves and miss out on the spirit of Christmas.

This year, consider transforming your approach to your celebrations. Before you begin Christmas preparations, identify aspects of Christmas that are most important to you and what Christmas-related goals you hope to achieve this year.

As Christmas draws nearer, resolve to give up your dreams of perfection. Try to remember that you are unique, which means that your Christmas experience need not conform to that of your parents, your neighbours, or the simulated families you see in the media. Understand that you will not please everyone. Get down to basics: what the people really want is your time and attention. Allow yourself to serve store-bought foods rather than homemade dishes if it means you get more time to relax in the company of friends and family.

Ask yourself whether your quest for perfection is a matter of impressing others or gathering the people you care about around you in celebration. A year from now, you’ll have only a handful of vivid memories to look back on. If you take a realistic and heartfelt view of Christmas, you'll be sure to remember them fondly.

Sourced from DailyOM.

• Topics:

• Christmas
• Mental Health & Wellbeing