You’ve probably heard it before – the “most wonderful time of the year” is also the most stressful for many of us.
Managing various expectations, finances, and a disrupted family routine are just three factors that can bring out the Grinch in us at Christmas.
Stefanie Schwartz, a clinical psychologist who counsels individuals and families through her website, www.groupworx.com.au, has these tips for keeping your Christmas cheer.
- Set expectations with your children around activities, bedtime and pocket money. Preempting some of the potential difficult moments can assist in decreasing family stress.
- Set limits around spending. Financial concerns can hugely contribute to holiday stress and setting out a budget around gifts, meals and activities can help to manage that stress.
- Set out holiday tasks in small specific steps rather than overwhelming yourself with enormous tasks with far too little time to achieve them in. Don't be afraid to ask and accept help from those around you.
- Amongst all the holiday madness, try to take time to engage in activities that you and your family enjoy as a way to recharge. This helps to calm down the family as a whole and deal with any potential upcoming stressors.
- If you are sharing space with extended family, remember that we all have our own way of doing things, and make sure you carve out time on your own or with your partner.
How do you keep the Grinch at bay over the Christmas holidays?
Feeling stressed? Take the Blackmores Stress Quiz and compare yourself to the rest of Australia.
