Tips for the holiday season

Hey @Magpie22,

This is a great post, and so important when coming into the festive season that we remember to wind down and relax before heading into the New Year.

Watching trashy TV shows that rot my brain in the best kind of way is my FAVOURITE way to spend me time 😂 I definitely can relate to you on that one.

@Magpie22

I watch trashy tv too. Usually some kind of reality tv show. Not hubby's favourite. He prefers history, NFL or Time Team. I think it's important to remember to take some me time this time of year. I need to put up my Christmas tree but I am having trouble finding the motivation. Bah Humbug...

Historically, I've REALYLY struggled with my mental health during the period of time. Now, I have things planned and I'm in a much better place to cope with the end of year / new year. It used to really upset people when they messaged "Happy New Year" because another year was such a dread...

Nowadays, I'm mindful of how much support people need when services close for the year. It's terribly hard so I'm so glad forums community builders will be off only for the bare minimum. It's something I always advocate for on the forums. @Oaktree @Magpie22 @GalaxyGuide

Thank you for starting this thread!

My main tip is, listen to your body in order to stay well.

I have a few @Magpie22

1. Where possible, I avoid "inside crowds". If I'm in a space without free-flowing air and somewhere with artificial lighting I am already more likely to get overwhelmed, so adding crowded and loud spaces is a recipe for disaster. I buy most Christmas presents online now, and will get "Click and Collect" for food.
2. If I can't avoid the inside crowds, I make sure to have a plan or the ability to get outside into natural, fresh every 30 minutes or so.
3. I've structured in my "get away" for Christmas dinner by being my Pop's designated driver. He's in his 90's and always wants to leave Christmas dinner by around 9pm. Finding something to structured into my day can give me some certainty and an "excuse" to lean on.
4. I usually have a nap after Christmas lunch, so I'm more refreshed and regulated before Christmas dinner.

Hi I'm new here so I hope this post gets approved.

I'm a Army vet, 8 years infantry.

I know this might sound weird but I hate the Xmas time of year.

The shops are full of people, lots of noise and movement and I very quickly get overwhelmed.

And then there's the fireworks 🎇

And to top it off there's family gatherings where we see family members who I often don't see throughout the year.

Sometimes I feel like a stranger.

I've found that this time of year, my mental health declines rapidly and I quickly get overwhelmed.

Any advice or thoughts?

TIA..

Tails74

Great tips @0ddsidian - I am also often the designated driver so I get some control over when I leave. Sometimes I just leave people behind if they aren’t done yet

Firstly @Tails1974 welcome to the forums. It’s great to have you here.

and what you’ve described makes perfect sense. I have a love-hate relationship to this time of year. It always seems to make everyone so stressed to get it “right” and that just makes me anxious. And I hate NYE - not so much the fireworks for me - I just hate looking back at the year and feeling like it’s been another crappy year.

I think we all feel like strangers sometimes, but when it’s a time when we are “supposed to” feel connected it really does hit home.

Im sure some of the others have more tips, but for me I put some good boundaries in to make sure I get some alone time. I’m a parkrun groupie so I like to find a local parkrun that’s doing Christmas Day and New Years Day runs and commit to those. Then I know I have that locked in - and no one else in my family wants to get up and run first thing in the morning - especially at Xmas and NY.

I also choose not to drink, other than some bubbles to toast - alcohol just makes my stress worse and I can’t escape by driving somewhere if I’m over the limit.

For shopping I usually pick one shop to get everything from for gifts - usually a bookshop - then I get them all in one trip and I’m done. Food can be bought online. And even last minute gifts - Amazon do fast delivery in an emergency. Or maybe there’s a mate you can pair up with to go together - first thing in the morning is a great time in the shops - especially before school hols start.

And when you do get overwhelmed - there are some great quick actions to provide immediate release - breathing exercises, grounding by focusing on bringing yourself into the moment or distraction - I personally recite the American states in my head in alphabetical order but it can be anything. There are some tools on the open arms website to help with these https://www.openarms.gov.au/get-support/self-help-tools/show-all-tools

Let us know how you go - remember you aren’t alone and it’s OK to let people know what you need.

@Tails1974

Welcome to the forums. This time of year, is tricky for many people. I find the shops pretty overwhelming because they are so busy and I hate queuing to get out of them. I guess online shopping and home delivery would probably be a good idea around this time of year. I enjoy Christmas Day, but the lead up is pretty stressful. We usually just do a meal with the kids and their significant others. This year my daughter won't be home because she is in the US. Just the two boys and their fiancés'. Hubby does a lot of the cooking so that is really good. We have told the kids that we won't be exchanging gifts this year. Looking forward to the family dinner though. Do you have any Christmas Day plans?

I really enjoyed reading through everyone's contributions to this thread. I have 3 young children so this period is usually focused around them. Christmas lights, present creating etc... for the main two days also about them and having food with family. I REALLY enjoy playing board games.

Where I struggle is with the excessive-ness of it all. I avoid the shops as people are all crazy and rushing, buying so much CRAP (their choice i know). Amazon or hand-made gifts here, only one gift instead of hundreds, mostly experiences rather than material 'stuff' .... you get where I am going with this.

At New Years we usually go camping - off grid type, so when we get back I have all the "Happy New Year" messages which I enjoy answering and asking deeper questions around... "what are you looking forward to this year" or "how was your Christmas this year" to start conversation.

Hi @Tails1974, and welcome!

I too cannot stand the shopping centres at this time of year, or any time really. I do a lot of online shopping or click and collect orders, so I don't have to physically enter any shops and expose myself to the chaos.

What does Christmas Day usually look like for you? Hopefully this year it will be a positive experience, and if not, you're welcome to come here and vent to us 😊