Making Peace With Social Anxiety During The Holidays

Social anxiety is hard at any time of the year, but the holidays make it worse since there is a lot going on. Some people thrive on being busy and doing a million things at once, but there are other people who tend to freeze when it comes to just stepping into a store on Christmas eve.

Christmas is crazy and intense and if you are someone who struggles anxiety, it can seem like the holidays will never end. You have to try and make the best of it and know that it’s going to pass. You have to take it one step at a time and know that going through anxiety is something you’ve dealt with before and it’s going to be okay.

You know what to expect and know how to handle it when it comes up. Christmas amplifies anxiety to a whole new level because you’re trying to do everything you can and trying to make time for everyone, but there’s needs to be a moment when you should be able to take a step back and breathe.

If you sense that it’s going to get overwhelming then it’s okay not to go to that Christmas party or attend that work function. You need time to figure yourself out and doing so much at one time is stressing you out.

You know your anxiety; you know what triggers it and you know what works to take care of it. If you think that doing a million Christmas things will be something that will set off your anxiety then you know to tone it down and do things that will make you feel safe. Don’t do something just because it’s the holidays. Do something for you. People are going to understand. Take care of you.

You will learn new ways to deal with anxiety. You’re going to find things that work and don’t work. Use what you know. Make working on your anxiety a goal for the new year. Use this Christmas as a guide on what you want to accomplish for next year. Maybe you can work on hosting a get together and have a gift exchange. Start small and work yourself up. Only you know what you can and can’t do. Create something your proud of.