Holidays and time off, such as Christmas and New Year's, are a common source of stress, anxiety, and depression. Many people experience both external and internal pressures during the holidays, which can have a variety of causes. However, there are methods for managing Christmas stress, which also provide a clear indication of how you function as a person and what mental factors you may need to address in the long term. Therefore, Christmas can be seen as a starting point for your upcoming journey of change.

Christmas is a holiday that we often associate with togetherness, warmth, and holiday peace, but for many, the holiday is also a source of stress and anxiety. The final weeks before Christmas often mean that one has a lot to do at work, while also trying to fit in both social events and preparations for the holiday itself. There are a variety of reasons why one may experience stress or anxiety in connection with Christmas and New Year's. It can start with the environment and surroundings changing - streets, squares and shopping centers are filled with people doing Christmas shopping, and everywhere one is reminded of the upcoming holiday. The whole scenario can cause some anxiety and stress.

Many also experience financial stress, especially in times of inflation, higher electricity prices and so on. How to afford everything from Christmas food and gifts to long trips to visit family and friends?

One can also be affected by social relationship stress. Christmas often means meeting with family and relatives who may not be part of one's daily life and who may have more or less strained relationships with. Furthermore, relationships with one's partner and/or children may be put to the test. And those who do not have such relationships may feel lonely during the holidays.

Last but not least, Christmas and New Year's is a common source of existential stress, as we often reflect and evaluate our own existence in such contexts. This can open up a feeling of anxiety- but it can also be turned into something positive.

Christmas stress tells you a lot about yourself

It is natural for holidays to bring a sense of internal and external pressure. The Christmas break can be experienced as a "test" of how happy you are, how happy your family is, and so on. But Christmas stress can actually also be used as a source of self-awareness.

The type of Christmas stress you feel tells you a lot about yourself as a person. And that knowledge can be used to work on your mental health and strengthen your self-leadership, especially in the long term. You can also see Christmas as a useful opportunity to train your ability to handle stress and anxiety.

What is the actual root cause of your Christmas and New Year's stress? For many people, it's about perfectionism. Especially parents tend to want to give their children the perfect Christmas, so that they can look back on a nice childhood in the future.

But if you are a perfectionist during Christmas, there is a high risk that you are a perfectionist during the rest of the year. And in that case, it can be a common source of stress for you regardless of whether it's Christmas or everyday life. Then you need to practice managing your perfectionism.

Another reason why you may feel Christmas stress is that you are bad at living in the present moment and enjoying the moment - you're just thinking about what's next, what expectations are there, how things should be and what could go wrong.

In this case, you may need to practice things like mindfulness and meditation - not just during Christmas, but also when everyday life returns. The ability to enjoy the moment, however humble it may be, can have enormous positive effects on mental health.

If you feel an existential anxiety in connection with Christmas, it suggests that you need to talk to someone about where you are in life, what you're missing and what you would like to change. This is also a long-term issue that fundamentally involves much more than just Christmas.

Starting point for a journey of change

Certainly, there are many ways to short-term manage the stress and anxiety that arises in connection with Christmas and New Year's. But we want to emphasize the importance of putting the stress in a context and understanding it from a larger and more long-term perspective.

Your Christmas stress tells you something about yourself, it can give you self-awareness and become a starting point for your journey of change. Practice self-empathy during the holidays, and take the time to reflect on your situation. At the same time, you can also focus on being present, both for yourself and others, which in itself is good for mental well-being.

Reflect on how you want to change as a person, based on your experience of Christmas. What specific changes do you want to make in your life? What mental qualities do you want to develop and sharpen? What is missing for you to feel that you are in a good place in life?

Take advantage of the self-awareness and immediately decide that you will take it into next year. Through coaching and guidance, through self-reflection and by setting clear goals, you can move from point A to point B and experience a clear change in your life - even before the next holiday occurs.