Opinion: Therapist Joe Heffernan has some tips for managing stress this holiday season...
WHILE CHRISTMAS IS perceived as a season of joy and happiness, many don’t realise that those feelings are not shared by everyone. Christmas time and the lead-up to it can bring its own challenges and feelings of anxiety.
Let’s consider how these can make the festive season a test of one’s resilience and what steps you can take to help ease the feelings of anxiety and stress.If a person has not “got along” or is estranged from a family member, or members for 364 days of the year, that relationship is not likely to change on Christmas Day.
For example, planning to say “my new year’s resolution is to get a good walk in every day”, or “I need a little lie-down”, can help to help you retreat to a private place to make a phone call to talk through your feelings with a trusted friend.People who suffer from an addiction such as alcoholism sometimes feel pressure and resulting anxiety from the atmosphere of celebrations involving e.g. alcohol at Christmas.
How to commemorate and honour a loved one or loved ones who have died is a very individual process. One person might wish to visit the grave, another might not. One might wish to re-enact family Christmas traditions while another might find these traditions too difficult for them to engage with. One of those grieving might wish to look at photos that remind them of the deceased. Another might not wish to engage with that. Both are right. But each person’s way needs to be respected.
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