Christmas feels 🎄

Hi @QuietFocus211 

I'm glad that you posted about this topic, as I am finding it to be quite relatable this year. While I normally do not feel quite stressed during Christmas time, this year seems to be different for me as I've got alot of personal things on my mind. 

However, in terms of coping strategies, I think that I am going to spend some time indulging in the things that I truly enjoy. I definitely do think that I need to distract myself from all the noise this year. While I do enjoy spending time with my family and friends over this period, I honestly believe that having some time to self-reflect and do your own thing is so important. As such, having that split timeblock (time for yourself) (time for your family and friends) does feel key in order to avoid exhaustion etc. 

Hey everyone, I'm feeling very excited! I'm hitting the puperty stage though and im worried that I'm going get my period soon.

Hey @QuietFocus211 

It definitely can be a stressful time of year for many of us. I cannot stress enough the importance of having coping strategies and boundaries and prioritising self-care during this holiday/festive period. 

I am very thankful that I will be spending Christmas with my partner at home for the first time. Although I am sad about not being able to spend Christmas with my family who live interstate, I will be video calling them on Christmas, which is lovely.

I think it's very important during this busy time of year to set aside time for yourself. If you can block out an hour or two in your day, you can dedicate time to yourself. Maybe you're like me and find baking something yummy is self-care/relaxing, or maybe even having a soak in the bath with a fun bath bomb and candles. When I've had big family gatherings, I found it great afterwards to just get curled up in bed with a platter of snacks, my favourite drink and watch a movie or play a game.

- Matcha_Toad 🐸🍵💚

Hi @QuietFocus211 

I can also find Christmas very stressful, I often have to work leading up to and because I work in retail it can be quite busy and overwhelming. This can make Christmas day exhausting, especially if we are hosting.

For coping strategies, I find the quiet moments for us are pretty consistent and I use them to check in with myself and see how I'm feeling. So often we have early morning open presents then probably from about 9-9:30 we have some time before lunch and I use that moment. Whether it's simply putting things away or just going through my presents and if I have to set any up. That way I get a quiet moment. After lunch for me is always a good time as well, my family won't often ask questions if I go sit on the couch quietly by myself for a moment.

My second strategy is making sure I still do something I enjoy so for me it's baking or making platters at Christmas. So whether I do both or just one, I will often use that time to prep or do the finishing touches, I will often be left alone to do that, which I can control as well. 

I think finding a moment for yourself is important, so you can check in with yourself and make sure your okay and do what you need to do if you are overwhelmed. I hope your Christmas goes well and these can help you.

I also find Christmas to be a very stressful @QuietFocus211 

I agree spending time with family can be difficult and draining, which for me adds on a little self-imposed guilt where I feel like I should love being with my family all the time. 

The best way I cope with Christmas is to really focus on my mental wellbeing and try to have it at the best state I can in order to allow for the hectic-ness of Christmas. Usually for me that means allowing for quiet time, whether that be having a break when meeting with family, taking a solo walk or listening to music to allow my brain to calm down after lots of interaction. 

It's also very helpful for me to be open with my family about when I'm feeling stressed, anxious or otherwise drained from Christmas because it allows them to better understand me when I ask for some alone time or to not go to some event rather than them making more emotional judgements that I'm being rude.

I hope even though Christmas can be an intense time, that everyone can find some positives and fun in amongst it because looking for the silver linings in life can be so beneficial. And I'd be interested to see how everyone copes with this time too. Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!!

Merry Christmas @QuietFocus211 !!!

Thankyou for this post, I totally agree that Christmas is so often a challenging time of year for people, for so many different reasons. I hope you're feeling really proud of yourself for the work that you've been doing around managing environmental triggers - i'm aware that this can be such a tricky thing to do!! 

I'm very blessed to have a lovely and supportive family, but this time of year can definitely make relationships tense! Christmas thas been a tricky mental health time for me in the past, and tends to make me feel very reflective and also a little morose. My birthday is also this time of year too, which definitely makes me think a lot about the passage of time, what's changed in my life, what hasn't.

Sending lots of love and care to anyone who needs a little extra support this festive season 🎄🥰. I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone's favourite coping strategies!!