Holidays
How to cope with the end of year holiday season
It gets everywhere! On television and radio, in shops, newspapers and magazines, on the internet and even all the outdoor decorations. We can’t escape it. The holidays are coming!
It seems that everyone else has a wonderful family time…. except me?
Fact Or Opinion?
Perhaps a minority of people are fortunate enough to have a lovely family time. The majority have some good family times mixed with quite a lot of work, stress and financial burden.
Family stresses can be greatly exaggerated and become intolerable over the holiday period when everyone is forced to spend time together, trying to keep things cheerful. For others, it is a very lonely time.
A reminder that we are alone, out of contact with, or without family. If we have friends, then they will probably be spending time with their families and have little spare time for us.
Everything seems to be closed on the day itself: shops, libraries, cafes and all other meeting points or places where we might be in contact with others.
So what can we do? How can we get through this time? Maybe even change things so that we can feel better about it.
If we change the way we think about it, or change what we do – then we will change the way we feel. If we carry on thinking and doing what we’ve always done, then nothing will change and we will have a miserable holiday time.
Use the examples to decide how you can make things better.
A typical depressed and lonely vicious cycle
Alternative cycle:
Vicious Cycle Of Depression - video
A typical stressed vicious cycle
Alternative cycle:
Vicious Cycle of Stress - video
My alternative cycle:
How can I think differently?
What can I do differently?
How will I feel if I think/act differently?
Holidays - this page as PDF
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Read the introduction page, then work through the 7 step self help course
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Browse the links to self help pages
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Browse the Self Help Plan
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Problems pages
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Solutions pages
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Free Downloads page for extra copies of worksheets and printable leaflet versions of other webpages
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Use the self help mp3 files to reinforce and strengthen the 7 step course, or on their own
Mental Health at Christmas - Mind video
