Bah, Humbug - De-stressing Christmas

Anxiety.   That is how I used to describe Christmas.  I now love Christmas. I actually have a Christmas music CD that I play all year. I tell people that the cats enjoy it, but really I love it. Why the 360 turn around? What changed? Me, I changed. I got rid of the anxiety by making Christmas what it is supposed to be – a religious or spiritual holiday. A time when we are nicer to people. A time we need to be nicer to ourselves. We put so much pressure on ourselves to buy gifts, send cards, have parties etc. It is just overwhelming.

That is not the only anxiety. It is the worst time of year to be alone, and/or to feel alone. If you are a single person or not surrounded by a family, it can be the darkest time of the year. We feel pressure to have a good Christmas, to receive and give gifts and to have great dinners and parties. But what if there is no one to give gifts to or have dinner with? Anxiety.

I have moved many times over many parts of Canada. One move in 2004 landed me in a small isolated community, alone, where I knew no one.  It was four weeks before Christmas when I arrived. My personal belongings had not arrived yet either.  I was not that anxious about it. Why? I had learnt over the years, of living away from my home, that Christmas was about what you make it, not about what everyone else makes it.

Christmas is a feeling, not a party or a hangover. It is about feeling passion and compassion for yourself and others. It is about re-evaluating your life for the arrival of the New Year. It really is about peace on earth, and just as important, peace within.

Teleseminar November 2012.