It’s a time of loneliness for some; a time of grieving for many who are no longer sharing the special season with loved ones; a time of rushing to get the house decorated and cleaned; a time of endless shopping; a time of feeling we’ve let someone down because we can’t give them all we’d like to under the Christmas tree; a time of feeling guilty and embarrassed because someone showed up with a gift for us and we had none for them. Dec 23 2006
It’s a time of loneliness for some; a time of grieving for many who are no longer sharing the special season with loved ones; a time of rushing to get the house decorated and cleaned; a time of endless shopping; a time of feeling we’ve let someone down because we can’t give them all we’d like to under the Christmas tree; a time of feeling guilty and embarrassed because someone showed up with a gift for us and we had none for them.
It’s a time when many people can feel totally overwhelmed. Christmas for many has unfortunately become a time of stress and exhaustion.
Some of us will cope with that stress, but many others won’t.
A study for the Canadian Mental Health Association identified just how far-reaching holiday stress can be. The study showed that a staggering 76.6 percent of people who have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression experience a return of, or an increase in, their symptoms during Christmas.
It’s a shame that the holidays have become a period of high-stress rather than celebration.
Perhaps it’s time to start making some positive changes. Perhaps it’s time to say no to advertisers who lure us with the latest fads.
Maybe it’s time to talk to family and friends and suggest that things need to change. Families could decide to give only homemade gifts.
Maybe a gift can be a certificate offering to make a nice dinner in January or your children could give a certificate saying they will cut the lawn for the summer months.
Perhaps our new year’s resolution for 2007 should be to change how we celebrate the holiday season so that it is not about stress.
What a miracle that would be.
SOURCE:-
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Reviewed by Lindsay 11-27-2011
