Charity of the Year

How to deal with Christmas stress

Dr Aneesh Shravat Chartered Psychologist

The festive period is meant to be a time to get together, enjoying each other’s company, exchanging presents and having a good time. Unfortunately, this time of year can also be the most stressful for all sorts of reasons, particularly if you or a loved one is going through cancer treatment. Here are some tips to help enjoy the festive season:

1) Don’t ignore the festive season during a treatment

- If you enjoy celebrating the festive season then try and enjoy it even if you can’t do the same things you usually do. You may be able to adjust your festivities to fit your abilities. It may help to do simple things like listening to music, watching some classic festive favourites (my personal favourites are It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf) or holiday crafts or other relaxing festive activities. 2) Try not to overdo it – This is quite a common occurrence that we hear about at our Maggie’s centre and it is quite normal to try and keep Christmas as similar as possible to times prior to treatment. However this often leads to more stress and fatigue, be kind to yourself and if possible let friends and relatives take more of the strain this year. 3) Try and prepare – Making decisions can be difficult whilst you are on treatment, however if possible try and plan early to take the strain off you and the family. You can order

Christmas food online or do the gift buying extra early this year. If you are struggling to do any planning, or making any decisions regarding Christmas come and talk it through with one of our Cancer Support Specialists.

4) Communicate with your family regarding your needs

– This is also a key topic in the Living with Less Stress

Course we run here at Maggie’s. During the festive period it can be really helpful to communicate your needs with you friend and family ahead of time. It may be that you can’t attend a certain get together or can only stay for a short period of time. You can also communicate what makes you feel comfortable. 5) Keep it simple – If you can only manage to keep Christmas simple and spend it with family and friend, that is fine. 6) Focus on Gratitude – It can be helpful to keep a diary of one thing that you are grateful for every day no matter how small it is. 7) Say ‘No’ when its necessary - Saying ‘No’ can be more difficult than it sounds however by saying ‘No’ you can give yourself a sense of control particularly when you are feeling fatigued or you don’t feel up for a big gathering.