Why is it that this time of year is so stressful? I’m going to place a large amount of blame on expectations. I’m not really into blame – but expectations have to carry the weight here. What messages did you get as a child about this time of year?
I watched lots of Christmas movies. My mother really loves Christmas. I grew up with all these expectations of how this time of year SHOULD be.
Beautifully wrapped presents under a beautifully decorated tree, in a beautifully decorated house. Everyone is well-dressed, happy and enjoying each other’s company. There’s a feast to be had on a beautifully decorated table. There are lots of people who love each other and can’t wait to spend time together enjoying the day.
But.
Who did the shopping, the decorating, the present wrapping, the baking, the cooking of said feast, the cleaning, and all the other things needed to make this a perfect day? In the southern hemisphere, we have children on school holidays and pressure to wrap up work activities for the end of calendar year. In the military, you might be ‘posting’ to a new location so there’s all the packing and goodbyes to add on top of providing the ‘perfect’ day.
Stressful?
What makes you think that? EEeek!
If you’re following along with my articles, you’ll remember that last week I published two of the major stressors that people report over this time of year. (Need a reminder or what to check it out? It’s here: http://bit.ly/3XB4U8H )
I think I’m safe in saying that we all would love to enjoy the holiday season without feeling the pressure of ‘perfection’ or expectations.
Another common stressor of the holiday season – Social Events.
Although humans are social beings and socialising is important for our well-being, different events can have different outcomes from being energising to being exhausting. Everyone seems to want to get together before or for Christmas. There are lots of parties, reunions and meetings with people.
It’s very important to balance everything when it comes to socialisation so we don’t add so much in that we become stressed.
Here are some of the tips to help reduce the stress of numerous social events.
Prioritise social occasions. This is your reminder that it’s okay to say “no”. You do NOT have to go to everything! Choose what events you attend and what you do not.
Put your comfort first. Choose events where you’ll find people that you like to spend time with. If you feel that you absolutely must go to an event that you don’t really want to – put a boundary around it. Go for an hour and then leave.
The most important person that we can take care of is ourselves.
Would you like a e-book on preparing yourself during this time to start 2023 filled with health, happiness and energy?
Let’s have a call or shoot me a message https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-scherr/
