More and more people are dealing with Christmas anxiety

To get straight to the point: I really struggle with this. Whenever there is a holiday or occasion where something has to happen, I get stressed and anxious. That's why I have nothing to do with my birthday, but also nothing with King's Day, Christmas, or New Year's Eve. It always turns out to be disappointing, and since I already feel this way, I find it less disappointing when it indeed turns out to be a letdown (especially with New Year's Eve, that often happens; why is it always disappointing?). A bit of a vicious circle, because every year I become less happy about the holidays.

A well-known phenomenon according to psychologists; Christmas anxiety is very real and more and more people are struggling with it. Fortunately, according to psychologists, there are ways to cope. Follow these five tips and hopefully your Christmas will be a little less unpleasant this year.

1. Manage your expectations
Think of it this way: the Christmas days are just days. And just like any other day, you might not feel great. That's okay. Don't force yourself to be energetic, happy, or anything else during Christmas; just be kind to yourself. And don't expect too much from dinners and your friends and family; having no expectations makes it so much less stressful.

2. Approach it differently
If you dread Christmas because it disappoints you every year: try approaching it very differently. Don't do that annual dinner that you dread. If you really can't avoid it, make sure to do something fun for yourself during the Christmas days. For example, keep the afternoon free to go to the movies alone or book a massage; something that makes you happy.

3. Talk to people about it
It will probably be a huge relief to talk about the stress or anxiety you have because of the holidays. There's a chance your friends or family don't know you're feeling this way, and they can take it into account — and also check in with you to see if everything is okay.

4. Don't assume the worst
You don't want a self-fulfilling prophecy: when you assume the worst will happen, it will. Even if you don't believe in manifesting, try to stay positive and not get lost in negativity.

5. Forget the details
Is your tree not looking nice? Is the lighting not working? Is the wine not cold enough? It. Will. Be. Fine. Because you know what? It doesn't matter. No one will have a less enjoyable time because of it, and you're only affecting yourself. Let it go; is it really something that will significantly impact the day or evening? 99 out of 100 times, the answer is ‘no’.

Source: Circle Health Group