6 tips to enjoy Christmas

Several simple tips to take advantage of all the possibilities that Christmas offers us.

Christmas is, beyond a tradition or a religious celebration, a time that can be enjoyed by believers and non-believers alike.

Everyone, in general, lives them to a greater or lesser extent. This is because it has acquired a transversal character, where one of the most important things is to be able to meet with loved ones.

However, precisely this fact that makes the Christmas holidays special, leads some people to have difficulties to manage emotionally these days. For this reason, below we will give several advices to enjoy them to the maximum.

Tips to enjoy Christmas and make the most of it

To experience Christmas to its fullest potential, follow these psychological tips.

1. Not everyone likes them, but don't become a Gringe.

It's one thing to have no special interest in the Christmas festivities, which is completely normal and legitimate, but it's another thing entirely to actively getting involved in making sure no one else enjoys them..

Not only will this make you feel uncomfortable by constantly comparing your emotional state with that of others, but it will also make the people around you prefer to avoid you and your negative attitude and have a distant or even hostile attitude towards you, which will probably contribute to you becoming defensive and going into a loop of constantly reaffirming your criticisms of Christmas.

2. Remember those who are gone

Christmas is, for many Christians and non-Christians, an excuse to get together as a family. However, beyond being an occasion for conversation, these kinds of gatherings also have an emotional undertone when a family member has died relatively recently, these kinds of gatherings also have an emotional undertone when a relative has died relatively recently..

In this sense, Christmas lunches and dinners can be an opportunity to remember those who are no longer with us and, in a way, make them present at the reunion. It is a very good way to manage those feelings of longing in the face of losses that, although they are no longer expressed in a mourning (because some time has passed since the death), have left an important emotional imprint that emerges in our consciousness from time to time, for better or for worse.

Putting into words what we experienced with those people, sharing memories, or even making small rituals (for example, leaving an empty chair in memory of that person) is a good way to give continuity to the existence of that loved one and at the same time to wrap up those who most feel that loss, reinforcing that climate of affection and mutual support.

3. Simplify before holiday shopping

It is no secret that currently the Christmas holidays are much more than a Christian holiday, and around it has formed a dynamic of consumerism reinforced over the past decades. This can lead some people to feel that they are "obliged" to buy without any real need to do so, just to avoid theThis can lead some people to feel that they are "forced" to buy without any real need to do so, just to avoid the discomfort of feeling that they have not made these days something "special" enough.

In this sense, it is advisable to go simple, on the one hand, and control the amount of money we should spend, on the other. Set a spending maximum in advance during these dates and plan your major purchases so that they do not exceed this figure, so that you do not have to be constantly hesitating about what and how much to buy. Also, remember that gifts and symbolic purchases can also be a powerful way of expressing love or affection. You do not need to spend large sums of money on luxurious products, nor do you need to buy a lot of things.

But to achieve this, it is best to do your Christmas shopping as soon as possible, because this way you will not find yourself in a situation where you hesitate at the last minute about what gifts to buy (these occasions lead us to buy too much or too expensive to compensate for the lack of ideas about what is the "ideal" gift). And on the other hand, don't worry about the idea of making the perfect gift, the important thing is the intention.

4. Beware of overeating and drinking!

Christmas dinners and lunches have their own characteristics: they serve a lot of food, a lot of alcohol (it is a deeply rooted cultural dynamic) and it is also possible to have several of them in a relatively short time.. Therefore, it is important to be careful about what you eat and drink. Remember that alcohol is still a drug that, although legal, damages the body if abused.

If you are considering giving up drinking, make sure that other drinks are available in advance, and practice assertiveness when it comes to saying that you do not want or should not drink alcohol. Even if there is some social pressure, you will not look bad by opting for other products.

5. Do not give in to social pressure by participating in events that are not good for you.

In line with the above, remember that your health comes first and that you should not give in to social pressure generated by Christmas customs and traditions: if you have an injury and should not move, it is appropriate that you prioritize this.

If you are overcoming an addiction and believe that these dinners may lead you to relapse, it is perfectly normal to put them aside until another year. If you are a person with delicate health and fear the risk of contagion, it is also reasonable that you prefer not to attend. Remember, however, that nowadays there are alternatives such as video calls that can facilitate small "virtual" meetings in real time.

6. Don't be obsessed with giving a perfect image

For many people, Christmas is the occasion in which for the first time in a long time, we see people who are important to us.. If this is your case, do not give in to the obsession to give a perfect image; this would hinder the relationship hindering a smooth communication for fear of causing rejection.

Since Christmas favors situations in which you can strengthen emotional ties, take advantage of it and do not bet for the opposite generating a barrier between you and other people.

• Article related: "Narcissistic Personality Disorder: causes and symptoms".

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