Westfield helps people to cope with Christmas stress
A survey of more than 1,500 people has found that Christmas comes second only to financial problems on people's lists of stresses and worries*, with the pressure to put on an impressive celebration proving to be a heavy burden.
Having to trawl the high street spending huge amounts of money on presents, getting up at the crack of dawn to cook the turkey and spending long periods of time with relatives can all be stressful experiences that can send our anxiety levels soaring.
"Stress and depression are both common during the Christmas period as people try to match their own and others' expectations of what Christmas should be," said Dr Karen O'Connor, Mental Health Clinical Lead at the Central Sheffield GP Consortium.
"Difficulty concentrating, headaches and a change in appetite are just a few of the symptoms - but often people just put them down to feeling tired. It's important to recognise the signs and to address the issues causing them.
"If you can't afford to buy lots of expensive gifts or put on a huge spread of food, then don't! Take the time now to discuss the issue with your friends and family, you never know, they could well be in the same situation."
So what can you do to make sure your Christmas is stress-free this year? Firstly, be aware of the symptoms.
"It's important you recognise when your body is feeling stressed," said Dr O'Connor.
"Everybody experiences different symptoms, but the most common are tiredness, finding it hard to concentrate, relax, or sleep or even just feeling a bit gloomy.
"Once you're able to feel stress coming on, try to remove yourself from the situation. Step outside and take slow, deep breaths. This should help you to think rationally and calm you down.
"Also, make sure you get lots of exercise. Going for a walk or a jog releases endorphins which boost your mood and the fresh air will clear your head."
Christmas is supposed to be a happy, fun-filled time when you can relax and reflect on the year gone by.
However, modern society places a lot of pressure on the festive period - everyone's Christmases are different, but it can be difficult not to get sucked in to the commercial ideals and this can have an impact on a person's stress levels.
But if it all gets too much, help is at hand.
Westfield Health recognises the importance of looking after not just your physical health but your mental health too, and if you're feeling stressed or depressed it's important to talk to someone about it.
Most of Westfield's cash plans provide an inclusive Employee Assistance Programme, which offers a freephone 24-hour counselling and advice line, and up to six face-to-face counselling sessions including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - a government-recognised talking therapy which helps to change patterns of thinking or looks at the behaviours that are causing problems helping the patient to feel better.
More information can be found on this website.
Reference
* http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/dr-casebook/Beat-the-Christmas-stress.5920606.jp