Managing our Expectations of Ourselves During the Holidays
Hello! Welcome back to the Center Street Psychology blog. If this is your first time reading, scroll back to check out some of our past blogs on topics such as grief during the holidays and communication skills. This week we’re going to talk about managing our expectations of ourselves during the holidays.
This can be a stressful time for many people, for a variety of reasons, and sometimes we need a reminder that it’s okay to not be excited about the holidays. Some of the reasons why this time of year may be stressful or draining include;
· Financial Pressure: Buying gifts, extra food for the company and big dinners, travelling, and taking time away from work are all ways that there can be strain during this time of year. Often, we feel pressured to buy fancy presents or cook a gourmet dinner, but it’s okay to celebrate in a way that feels manageable to you.
· Media Pressure: During the holidays we are bombarded with images showing tall Christmas trees beautifully decorated, lots of presents under the tree, and a house shining with Christmas lights as a “perfect” family gathers to sing carols in the gently blowing snow. However, media is not a reflection of reality and there’s nothing wrong with not having the fanciest house on the block or buying an artificial tree.
· Social Pressure: Often, this time of year is packed with Christmas concerts, get-togethers with friends, work parties, and family expectations. We can all end up feeling stretched thin, particularly if some of the relationships in our lives are challenging. It is completely acceptable to put limits on who you spend your time with and how much time you spend with them, and to put up boundaries with people to help maintain healthy relationships.
Want to know more?
Check out this article from Psychology Today, which is full of coping strategies for this time of year:
Or, visit Dr. Kristin Neff’s website to learn about self-compassion and how you can be kind to yourself:
https://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/#exercise
Please reach out to us at Center Street Psychology, as we provide uniquely tailored therapeutic plans and interventions to support you including Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and Transactional Analysis (TA), Psychodynamic, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused (SFT), The Grief Recovery Method®, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), The Flash Technique, Hypnosis, Mindfulness, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), The Gottman Method and have WCB, and NIHB providers. We provide uniquely tailored therapeutic plans and interventions to support you and collaborate on your personal wellness goals. We are an inclusive clinic, located in Calgary, Alberta that provides in-person and virtual psychological services across Canada in the evenings and weekends. Please text or call 403-399-5120 to talk to our Director of Client Care, Amy, who will guide you through the intake process.
Written by: Lindsay Mcnena
