Mental health is seen to increases over Christmas and did you know ...
A quarter of people find that Christmas increases their anxiety according to YouGov.co.uk.
Feelings of being stressed, anxious, depressed and loneliness are among the highest levels of emotions felt over the Christmas period.
Women are also seen to be more stressed and anxious than men over this period.
I know that Christmas does not always bring happy and excited feelings, instead it can cause a lot of sad feelings due to many reasons.
This may be just simply due to the loss of family and friends that you may be unable to see now due to many reasons such as Covid restrictions / caution, the loss of loved ones, distance and many more.
Also the stress of being unable to provide for your family, comparing yourself to other families and what they bring to their household during this time. Maybe you can't afford many gifts, you don't have as many decorations, even just the differing traditions each person holds. We can find ourselves comparing a lot, bringing stress and lack of confidence in ourselves.
There is also the fact that not all of us have happy family connections. This could be due to some family members who may make you feel unworthy or bring your energy levels down.
Sometimes we have family members that we may not want to surround ourselves with, that have caused us hurt, abuse (physical, emotional or physiological) or upset.
You have a choice of how much time you want to spend with these family members.
They do not deserve to have you in their life if they treat you this way.
Tell them or show them this by saying NO or reducing your time spend with them.
Also remembering that we don’t even have to justify our decisions!
You are worthy of being around people who love you, care for you and are kind to you at Christmas.
With all this understanding maybe consider these 10 ways to reduce family tension, anxiety or stress this Christmas.
I hope you find them helpful.
1. Reduce time or simply say No to family members that cause you anxiety. They don't deserve your time.
2. Use relaxation techniques to help you remain calm within difficult moments. Plus make time for yourself. Self care is known to help with anxiety or stress to boost your mood and feel calmer and more focused. Listen to my FREE 5 minute relaxation to help you
3. Get outside, sometimes being stuck indoors confined can increase stress. Enjoy the outdoors, go for a walk boost those feel good hormones!
4. Use positive affirmations to remind yourself of how amazing you are.
5. Create your own traditions. You don't have to follow suit. Make Christmas right for YOU!
6. Eat regularly with well balanced meals to reduce low sugar levels that cause you feeling irritable and anxious. Avoid too much caffeine that can activate the fight / flight response. Drink water or a herbal tea.
7. Talk to someone about how your feeling.
8. Delegate, you can't do everything. We may think we are super women but it's not realistic, seek help.
9. Listen to music, can help your feel happy and upbeat or calmer.
10 . Have a bath / shower. Relax those muscles if your holding a lot of tension this can really help.
Also more tips and advice are in my Facebook Group ‘The Calm Mind Community (Abi’s Antidote to Anxiety) do join me in the group of like minded women.
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