Has Your Christmas Lost its Sparkle?
by Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham RD SW10.
Christmas is drawing near and for a lot of people it means spending time with family or loved ones, indulging in lots of rich and decadent food, drinking alcohol and general merriment and enjoyment. However Christmas can also be a time of reflection and can often highlight what we have or haven’t got in our lives. This can bring up difficult feelings for many and Christmas ends up being a struggle to get through rather than something to enjoy. The media often triggers feelings of inadequacy as were constantly bombarded with happy family scenes when actually its the time of year when arguments are more likely to happen in the home, purely because of the amount of pressure were all under to have a good time! Its also a time when debt is accrued by many in the desperate attempts to fulfil their loved ones Christmas wish list, only to be followed by a major financial hangover in the new year when debts need repaying.
There are ways that you can get through this testing time. Try not to buy into the media hype and see it as a time for you to give to yourself, notice what you are saying to yourself; is it kind and thoughtful or critical and negative? Nurture yourself with loving and positive thoughts and take the extra time you have off over the holiday season to reflect on the past year and to think about where you want to be this time next year. What do you want to achieve and what do you need to do in order to attain this? Set yourself goals and break them down into small manageable steps using the SMART method as follows:
Specific – write down exactly what you want to achieve
Measurable - ensure that you are able to measure your progress along the way
Attainable - when you set your goals ensure that they are achievable and you are able to take the steps needed to reach them
Realistic - make sure that your goals are do-able and realistic for you
Timed - set a time frame for your goals. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
When it comes to presents, buy gifts that are thoughtful rather than extravagant or expensive, you could even try making something which not only help you to get in touch with your creative side but can also be very therapeutic and you will be giving something unique to your loved ones.
If, however you find that Christmas is just too much, you find that you are struggling with your feelings for yet another year and none of the above is working for you, maybe its time for you to invest in yourself and your emotional well being by giving counselling a try. Counselling can be useful in helping you to understand your difficult feelings, help you to work through them and learn how to manage them instead of them managing you. It can be a way of setting and attaining your goals for the future and ensuring that from now on Christmas is on your terms and no one else’s.
If you would like to book an appointment or call to discuss how counselling can help you please contact me on 0207 352 3087/07841 420067 or alternatively use the form to email me at the clinic
Seasons greetings
