Christmas Gone Wild: How to Manage Your Holiday Stress

Holidays have ever been played-out by the media as warm, huggy images. The majority of us, though, have yet to meet the often sung about “peace and joy”. Stress and depression seem the only visitors at our door each year, leaving us with a longing for the kind of Christmas rush that our TV dangles as “out there”. So in place of the same blue funk this year, why not get creative with it! Snowball some personal, icy cycles into the fray. Your envy will thank you for it!

Back in the Day!

Remember how terrific Christmas was when dad was partnered to mom instead of his current squeeze Greg? Share your memories of holidays gone-good in loud, raucous voice ribboned with wistful looks and reflective sighs. Freely interrupt anyone who thinks it okay to celebrate in Dr. Phil present-time with confident sing of the Beatles’ “Yesterday”. Blame everything off-center on post traumatic familial disorder instigated by selfish others!

Relatively Speaking.

Why accept family members and friends as they are? That’s new-age blog meant to melt one wimped. Parents are supposed to meet certain expectations; so are siblings, friends and lovers! Chat-up all the times they’ve let you down in the past; remind them of their shortcomings with vivid repeat replays. They may have forgotten what they did to you but you never will! But hey! you are the grown-up here so gift them “insight” on why they should change. Use your own mature behaviors as yardstick for their “improvement”.

Shifting Face.

It’s all right to devour every Godiva chocolate and inhale pricey vodka; after all, you rarely imbibe indulgences and they are freebies! Block-out how excessive consumption can crash emotions/energy; trigger irritability. Bypass all exercise as lethargy, fatigue and sugar/nicotine/alcohol highs can fast forward emotions past Santa flaws.

Tied ‘n True:

Dwell verbally on all gone wrong in your life then blame said on all appropriate person(s). Whine about your “half-filled” life which could have been whole had they just lent you start-up capital for that sure thing. High expectations are cool ’cause they would have come true given support and bucks from those claiming to love you. Holidays are an ideal time to air old crap because you’re all together, usually for extended periods of time, which allows you to express “issues” unfettered by time.

In-Your-Face!

Turn on the television. News of hardship and violence overwhelms balance; kisses unpleasant situations worse! Turn the sound up loud so all present can be privy to the despair, war, death and destruction that news broadcasts daily highlight. Read the paper and make local robberies and assaults dinner table discussion; this brings fear and adversary close to home, makes everyone feel as miserable you do.

Hilton Habits:

Sure you’re not Paris Hilton but hey the holidays come but once a year! Forget spending limits and budgets. With today’s economy and cutbacks you could be dropped from yet another career tomorrow so shoot for an impression by outdoing everyone with gifts. The goal here is to make them keep up with you, not vise versa.

Slay Backs!

Paybacks are an upbeat experience. They relieve the slush from last year’s Christmas that you’ve been trudging through all year! Accomplishing a goal, i.e. telling your brother precisely why he’s wrong and how he needs to fix himself, can lift a mood and gift an aura of control. Humor can help put down a target in a less flashy manner. Remember, why settle for a loved one’s jingle knell when you can jangle away many of your own!