How to spend Christmas in these times of pandemic: psychological advices

Tips for living Christmas in times of coronavirus from a good emotional management.

It is clear that the coronavirus pandemic has substantially modified our lifestyle in all aspects, and family celebrations have not been left out of this phenomenon.

Although many people would like to celebrate Christmas as normal with their loved ones, this will not be possible due to the new security measures we must take to ensure everyone's health and well-being.

In order to make it easier to adapt to this period of celebrations in millions of homes, here we will review several essential keys for spending Christmas with the family from a correct management of emotions in times of COVID-19..

How to spend Christmas in times of COVID-19, with good emotional management

To get through the Christmas holidays in the best possible way (from an emotional point of view), follow these guidelines.

1. Do not always talk about the same subject

Christmas is above all a period of celebration, so it is advisable not to talk only about topics related to the virus, in order to be able to express a greater diversity of emotions and emotions. express a greater diversity of emotions and enrich the communicative experience.. Staying anchored in the monothematic theme that dominates all the newscasts is not only not stimulating, but also feeds unfounded fears.

2. Involve the little ones

They also have their own opinions and feelingsThey also have their own opinions and feelings, and may need to take advantage of situations like these to receive support from family members.

3. Give yourself more time to plan

We must not forget that the onset of the pandemic is a source of stress. For this reason, and bearing in mind that preparing for the Christmas holidays (and the shopping that goes with it) is already stressful in itself, this time it is best to give yourself more time to prepare everything.On this occasion, the best thing to do is to give yourself more time to prepare everything.

4. Exploit the potential of video calling

Until relatively recently it would have been unthinkable, but today it is possible to hold "virtual meetings" involving groups of people on either side of the screen. It doesn't have to last the whole of Christmas dinner, but a videoconferencing session in which two households are connected by audio and video can be a great way to break up the busyness of Christmas dinner, can be a great way to break the isolation and minimize the risk of contagion.... and it can even be a fun experience.

5. Relieve the collective pressure to buy gifts

In times of health and economic crisis, it is advisable not to feed dynamics that lead to spend money for the sake of spending money. That is why, it is advisable that you propose not to buy practically any gifts, or to postpone them for another month when expenses do not accumulate. month when expenses do not accumulate. Explaining this will make it not an individual but a collective decision, so that people with a more precarious economy can benefit from this.

6. In case of need, resort to therapy

Psychotherapy services do not stop even in times of confinement, because there is also the format of psychotherapy.Because there is also the format of online therapy by video call. Psychologists will be happy to assist you.

To prevent risks of contagion...

Now that we have seen several tips regarding the management of emotions, let's move on to the material level. Here are the most important tips for spend Christmas in a pandemic period while minimizing the risk of contagion..

1. Ventilation, masks and low conversation volume

An MIT study concludes that three variables are crucial in minimizing human-to-human contact: room ventilation, the use of masks by diners, and speaking at a low volume to avoid expelling the least amount of saliva droplets during the meal.

To achieve a constant high level of ventilation, windows should be left open for as long as possible or, if this is not possible, it is recommended to ventilate the rooms for about 15 minutes every hour.

The use of masks should also be constant while not at the table eating or drinking, covering nose and mouth.. When not in use, it is advisable to keep the mask in a paper or plastic envelope to avoid contamination.

2. Small groups

This year all families should make an effort not to gather more than 10 people in their homes, 6 or less in some autonomous communities, in order to flatten the curve of coronavirus infections in the country.

Another of the recommendations on which the experts agree is to establish bubble groups during all the days of celebration, that is to say, avoid meeting with many people from different family groups..

Likewise, if we have to see different people, it is advisable to meet more times but with small groups of people, to avoid congregating many people in one house.

3. Remember hygiene measures

Hygiene measures are another of the keys that we must keep in mind at all times to have a safe and responsible Christmas.

Hand washing and the application of hydroalcoholic gel have already become a common procedure. and daily in our lives, and this Christmas we must put it into practice even more, if possible.

Similarly, some hygiene measures are also recommended that we must take into account this Christmas, either during meals or at social gatherings of all kinds, which are, first of all, the fact of eliminating from the table dishes and food to share, whether hors d'oeuvres or group appetizers.

In addition to that, it is also recommended that only one person sets the table, that only one person serves the food on each plate and that only one person clears the table, to avoid contagion as much as possible.to avoid contagion as much as possible.

4. Short meals are better than dinners

Short meals have become the best option this Christmas, in order to avoid dinners that last until late and can lead to late nights out.

The duration of the meal should be short in order to avoid contagion and exposure to possible infected persons as much as possible..

5. Cancel face-to-face meetings whenever there is a risk of contagion.

At the first sign of coronavirus infection or contact with an infected person, family gatherings should be cancelled and appropriate medical measures taken.

All families are looking forward to getting together during this holiday season, but we must remember that more important than celebrating Christmas 2020, is to celebrate next year's Christmas together.