Women and Christmas Stress
Sing along …”it’s the most “stressful’ time of the year…there’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and carolling out in the snow….”
You know how the song goes I’m sure…
But for many people, the festive season can be more frantic and frightful than festive and fun.
If you’re a woman, and particularly if you’re a working mother, then it’s even more likely that your stress levels will be higher than average as the days count down towards Father Christmas’s arrival
Indeed, a recent study found that women are more likely to be up to 10% more stressed than men by Christmas.
It doesn’t take much imagination to understand why women suffer more from ‘Christmas stress.’
Despite the facts that women are now just as likely to work full time as their partners they still carry the bulk of domestic duties, including the tasks of merry-making. From present buying, menu planning, food shopping, present wrapping, even down to writing the Christmas cards women tend to have much longer Christmas-related “To Do” lists than the men they spend their lives with (regardless of whether they work similar hours).
Next on top of the work stress and the festive pressure women are also under pressure to look “special” too and fit into that little black dress for the party season. No one is telling the guys they need to be a size smaller for Christmas, but the Party Outfit pressure is just the norm these days.
Not really surprising that so many women then “look forward” to the upcoming festive season with a slight feeling of dread.
What these women really need to help them at this time of year is …. A Wife !!
I’m joking of course, but image having someone in your corner to plan, prepare and make your Christmas special… at the end of this article, I’ll share Three Top Tips for Beating Festive Stress.
But what if you have already been experiencing high stress and anxiety before the festive seasons kicks in? What if you have already begun to feel a little overwhelmed with life in general? Then Christmas stress can add a whole other level of panic and pain.
If that is you then don’t suffer on in silence, you can still regain a sense of balance and strength before the additional festive burdens pile on. If this is you then pop over to our Facebook Page where you will find my video of my personal top tips to get your sleep back on track, support your body and mind through a stressful time.
Top Tips for a Stress Less Christmas
- Drop Perfect.
There is no perfect and you can literally drive yourself made in the searching. Its ok to have standards but if you start to feel anxiety rising at not being able to meet those standards exactly then it may be time to take a step back. Think about good enough, think about great, think about suitable. Can you be happy with these as your standard in some circumstances?
- Side Step Should
Drop the word Should from your vocabulary. There is only what you might and can do. Feeling like you Should behave in a certain way only leads to guilt and shame if you haven’t reached the mark. So instead think about what you would like to do, think of how you would feel if someone you loved and cared for was making themselves unhappy or worse unhealthy by trying to do what they “should”.
- Make Me Time
This festive season I’m sure you will have a long list of gifts you want to buy for friends and family. ..but what about adding your own name to that list? What about giving yourself the gift of time out this Christmas? This might just be a 15 minute guided meditation, an early night with a good book, a full body massage to ease out all the unnecessary tensions or even dare I say it a few days away to really clear your head?
Whatever you do make sure that you get to enjoy the whole of the Christmas season without the stress.
