Christmas is a happy time for most people, and doesn’t have many negative connotations – especially around mental health. However, without dampening the Christmas spirit it can be a very stressful time as the build-up occurs. We’ve written this article to talk how offices can be more supportive when it comes to helping staff with Christmas stress!

Below are a few causes of stress at Christmas we think are quite common, followed by some tips on how to mitigate that anxiety or stress.

Causes of stress in the build-up to Christmas

Financial Pressures

Christmas is a time of giving, that everyone enjoys. However, the financial pressures that come with this period can weigh heavily on a lot of people.

Budget for Christmas, although it may be a bit late as we post this, if there is a financial squeeze towards the end of the year maybe setting aside a savings pot for November / December time could leave you with a little more leeway. You can also try to get your shopping done earlier or throughout the months leading up to Christmas. This way you can avoid one big hit to your bank balance in December. If you’re really in a financial squeeze, one last thing to remember is that you don’t always have to spend money to give people a present. Sometimes your presence and effort in making sure everyone has a good Christmas are all that’s required!

Solitude

The Christmas period is a time associated with seeing family and friends. For some people though, this is a lot harder or not possible at all and loneliness can feel particularly strong at this time of year for many.

If the loneliness stems from an inability to be with family and friends – make an effort to stay in contact remotely, via the phone, online, etc. Another way to negate those feelings of loneliness is to make a plan for your Christmas day! Just because you’re alone doesn’t mean it has to be rubbish! You could even arrange to help out doing charity work with an organisation like the salvation army if you really want to spend time with people on the day!

Family tensions

Although it’s always nice when family comes together, there can sometimes be complications. The extra time spent with family during this period increases the likelihood of tensions rising and this can cause a lot of stress when it happens.

Try to understand that everyone can feel stress at Christmas so this often leads to shorter fuses – patience at this time of year is key! It’s also a good idea to keep branches of the family that don’t get along separate over this period if that’s the case. Perhaps visit one side of the family on Christmas eve and the other on Christmas day. Hopefully though, if there are any family tensions they’re reduced by a good Christmas dinner and a few food comas!

Feeling low during the Christmas period

For some people, it’s hard to feel good most of the year, but at a time when people expect you to be merry – these low feelings can be amplified by a sense of guilt for not enjoying yourself and failing to meet people's expectations over the winter period.

If you’re experiencing low emotions over the Christmas period, you should make a conscious effort to remember any of the positive things that happened throughout the previous year, and develop an understanding of why the Christmas period may be amplifying feelings of depression. On a final note try your best to make realistic New Year’s resolutions to avoid disappointment as January comes and goes!

Over-evaluating your year and stressing about the year to come

As the new year approaches it’s easy to reflect on the year you’ve had, as well as think about the year to come. For some, this can be a stressful process – as it becomes easy to compare your year with others and remember negatives more than the positives leading to a stressful sense that you didn’t make the most of it and are going to do the same next year.

Again it’s key to try to remember the good things that happened throughout your year, and if that seems hard to do just try to remain present. The few weeks of celebration and festivities are usually far more enjoyable if you can keep your head in the moment!

In Conclusion

It’s clear that Christmas isn’t a stress-free period, but it should always be an enjoyable time of year! Hopefully, this blog has helped you identify some of the potential causes of stress at Christmas, and kickstarted a path for you to resolve them as much as possible. Wishing you the best Christmas possible, from Brown Paper Packages.