The Christmas season, and other holidays as well, can be stressful for everybody. This may be especially true for people who are in recovery and have Christmas memories that are painful.
One factor which makes the Christmas season, according to psychologists, is that there are so many events and expectations that are different from the normal routine.
Having healthy boundaries, knowing in advance what you are committed to do…and what you won’t do, will help to relieve some stress of the unexpected.
Many people know that they need good boundaries, but they miss one important element: Knowing what they want to do.
It’s easy to feel trapped into obligations, other peoples expectations, and someone else’s idea of a fun Christmas, but the question is: Do you have any better idea?
Often we dont’ even know ourselves what we would prefer to do, so we get stressed and bent out of shape by others expectations. The more proactive way to approach it is to write out a plan for your best Christmas. What would you like to do? Who would you like to celebrate with? What would you want to make sure you don’t miss?
Plan your Christmas around some of your own personal highlights so that you have some control over you life. If you don’t have a plan for your own life, don’t be surprised if you end up getting pushed into someone else’s plan.
What is a favorite Christmas tradition that you plan to do this year? Share it with me, and what you do to have healthy boundaries at Christmas.