'Tisn't the season to be stressful!

Blast from the past! This article was originally published in the December 1988 edition of New Times, and was written by Dr Darryl Cross.

Posted in Culture

Christmas is a time of joy and fun, but it is also a time of fatigue and stress. How come?

The reasons are varied and you probably know them well – fitting in extra chores and errands to prepare for the big day; excessive food and drink; long hours and late nights; interruptions to regular routines; lack of relaxation time; feeling pressured by friends and relatives; not being able to say “no”; feeling others are making too many demands on you; and, sometimes, the getting together of families who should never really get together!

So what are the remedies for coping with a season that brings a lot of happiness, but also brings its tensions? To ensure that you remain on top and in control, try out the following guidelines.

  1. Regular relaxation or quiet time:

    Program into your day (usually in the morning or at night), a minimum of 15 minutes relaxation (eg – reading, listening to music) or quiet time (eg – praying, meditation). 

  2. Regular exercise:

    Arrange for regular exercise for 15-20 minutes, three times a week. No need to be masochistic about this, walking or using an exercise bike, for example, would suit the purpose well. 

  3. Sound nutrition:

    Eating three balanced meals a day is important. If you do over-indulge and eat the wrong foods, as we all do at particular celebrations, then simply pull back the next few days and eat more sensibly. 

  4. Moderate alcohol consumption:

    The fruit of the vine can be an enjoyable drink, but individuals all have their different tolerances. Drinking water along with wine can help prevent dehydration and those certain after-effects. 

  5. Plan your time:

    Set priorities and plan tasks to be undertaken daily and weekly. Endeavour to manage your time effectively without cramming. 

  6. Responsible assertive behaviour:

    Some people adopt a passive style and allow themselves to be talked into things simply to try to keep the peace, but afterwards often feel resentful or down-trodden. Others adopt an aggressive style as a way of sorting things out, but often feel guilty afterwards.

    Instead, a straight-forward, assertive, non-aggressive style which discloses your own needs and feelings in an honest, genuine way can go a long way in resolving conflict situations. Learning to say “no” in a way which recognises your own needs instead of trying to always please others allows you to feel less pressured. 

  7. Rational belief system:

    When things don’t go exactly the way we want, when people say and do things we feel they shouldn’t, when our expectations are not met, it is tempting to say things like “poor me, this always happens to me”, “this is absolutely awful”, “this is the end of the world for me”.

    Such thoughts are irrational or illogical; they tend to dramatise or catastrophise the situation.

    The views or thoughts that we take of these events or things are critical. We can either be rational and try to see it for what it is or we can distort the significance of these problems and exaggerate their importance.

    Instead of perceiving problems as catastrophes or major difficulties, and these often occur at Christmas for the reasons listed above, we need to get them into proper perspective and see them for what they are – annoying, inconvenient and disappointing, but not a major catastrophe or disaster. Problems rarely are.

Have a happy (and low stress) Christmas!

 


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