A Silent Night — Not At My House
People tend to get stressed out during the holidays. Obligations, deadlines, and expectations can pile up quickly. But what about those with crippling anxiety?
That's the focus of this article on how to still enjoy Christmas despite anxiety. Learn about ways you can mitigate your stress around the holidays and how you can maintain a sense of enjoyment even during anxious times. We'll give you some tips for taking care of yourself so that you don't become overwhelmed in a sea of obligations and stresses, which could lead to becoming depressed or even suicidal.
Tips to Enjoy the Holidays With Anxiety
Cultivate Gratitude: This can be a great way to relax and focus your mind on things you are thankful for. If you're anxious about Christmas, challenge yourself to write down all the things you are thankful for. Maybe it's food on the table, or a roof overhead. It could be someone in your personal life, or a friend you have made online that has really helped you through some tough times.
Are You Wishing For The Holidays To Pass? Those with anxiety might find their anxiety builds as December 25th approaches. But if this is not you, then don't allow yourself to be upset by those who might be. Instead, try to make the holidays more about what you're thankful for than what you're frustrated about.
Take a Diet Pill: Taking a diet pill could be a great way to help calm your anxiety . A little pill can do a lot of good in reducing anxiety and tension. We'll give you specific tips for the different types of diet pills available so that you can choose something that best suits you.
Do Some First-World Things: I know it's easy for me to say as someone who lives in Canada. But if you're anxious about getting more presents, or not being able to get in on enough of the family fun, then try some first-world things. Maybe you don't have an Xbox, or a Playstation. But you can still use the internet to play all sorts of different games, watch movies and TV shows, or just shop online for the things you want.
A Silent Night — Not At My House
Gift Cards: If you're anxious about what to get people who already have everything they could ever want, try giving them gift cards. Maybe they will like getting a gift card to Target or Amazon. Maybe even a Starbucks card would be nice. But who doesn't love some free money?
To me, being able to participate in the holidays is one of life's great joys. I'm sure many of us feel this way as well. But if you are being overly anxious, you might be missing out on a very important part of living. Anxiety is there to try to help us, but sometimes it keeps us from doing the things we want to and can cause a lot of distress.
Try using these tips to help you enjoy the holidays, even when you're having trouble enjoying yourself. I hope they help you achieve what I think is most important in life – happiness! Have a great holiday season!
Source: http://carolinelachance.hubpages.com/hub/Tips-To-Enjoy-The-Holidays-With-Anxiety
By: Carol Lachance, LPC
Published in Family Therapist on Feb 25, 2017
The thing about Christmas with anxiety – you can't escape it. It comes at you from the television, the radio, your grandparents' home, school friends and elementary school teachers. So what do you do when you have anxiety, and it's not just for Christmas? Well for one thing – don't put up with being miserable! You deserve all of the joy that you can get.
If you're anxious about Christmas, don't worry – you're not alone. Almost everyone has a case of Christmas anxiety, even if they don't realize it. In many ways this is a blessing, because once you've acknowledged the Christmas anxiety lurking in the background of your life, then you know the next step is to start taking action to manage it.
The first thing that many with anxiety do is to try to ignore it. This means turning down invitations and staying home on December 24th and 25th. It means sending regrets to friends and family who want you to join them. It means skipping out on work parties, school celebrations and any other event that doesn't involve being in a darkened room with a glass of wine, re-runs of your favorite holiday films and plenty of soothing music playing in the background.
While this does sound like a good plan for avoiding anxiety, it isn't really going to help you deal with Christmas anxiety. In fact, you're likely just going to end up feeling like a Grinch when everyone is around having a grand old time – and you're holed up at home hiding from the world. Don't put up with being miserable! You deserve all of the joy that you can get.
Another thing that people do when they have Christmas anxiety is to ignore their needs. They come up with elaborate schemes to avoid the over-the-top decorations, the overeating and all those Christmas cards that have piled up in their mailboxes. Of course, avoiding your needs doesn't really work either. You're still going to be feeling anxious because you haven't taken care of yourself at all.
Instead, take a look at your life and find ways to manage your anxiety without turning into a hermit or running away from the problem. Here are some ideas for how to deal with Christmas and anxiety:
Practice Self Care: This can be a very scary prospect for those who are very anxious about Christmas. You may find yourself spending your entire day trying to avoid all reminders of the holiday. If you feel that this would be best for you, then by all means do it! But if you are able to do something positive for yourself other than sitting in a dark room with a glass of wine, then by all means go for it!
Practice some self-care in a way that makes sense for you. The goal here is to use your holidays as an opportunity to practice coping strategies that will help you manage anxiety. For example, if there's a family member who tends to play Christmas music at ear-splitting levels, take advantage of the fact that they probably won't know what you're doing and turn off the radio.
See if you can sit through Christmas music for five minutes without obsessively turning up the music or going for a walk. Go out for a fun dinner with your friends and family, even if you're anxious about it. Use your holiday anxiety as an opportunity to identify what works and doesn't work to reduce your anxiety.
Find Your Family And Friends: If you have the type of Christmas that is all about family – this will be easy. If you may be feeling anxious, consider inviting some friends that make you feel good to spend time with at Christmas time.
Conclusion:
The holidays are an excellent time to practice coping strategies that you can use throughout the year. You don't have to let your anxiety win out over your life, and you shouldn't!
Don't forget to take a look at our Holidays Group and the articles inside of it for people with anxiety. We also have a Christmas Therapists directory that might be of interest for some, as well as a page on Self Care. I wish you all the best this holiday season – may it be filled with love, peace and joy! The support group is open year round so please feel free to join anytime!
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year – but I have often found myself struggling with Christmas Anxiety.