Thriving through Christmas with Nick Elston

THROUGH CHRISTMAS

NICK ELSTON

• Inspirational Speaker • Award Winning Mental Health Engagement • Transformational Speaking Coach • Founder of Forging People

www.nickelston.com

Let’s face it, not everyone is a big fan of the holiday season – it may not be socially acceptable to say it, but some simply don’t like Christmas (shhhh).

It kind of makes you feel like a grouch to say it – but, in the spirit of honesty, I fall more into that category.

In fact, Christmas has carried a triggering element when it comes to my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and GAD (generalised anxiety disorder).

The mania leading up to the event, the constant spending, the back-to-back socialising (it’s tough work being an introvert) plus the perceived weight of expectation from our friends and families is all then amplified by a ‘people pleasing’ mentality. Phew! I need to take a lie down in a dark room just writing about this.

But, before you label me a Grinch or assume I am surrounded by challenging people – I assure you I am not either of those things – the burden of responsibility lies solely with me and I fully accept that. However, accepting that means that I have put processes and tools in place to help me over the years and every year I begin to enjoy the period more and more.

I ensure that boundaries are set well in advance, expectations are managed, and I always escape to the Cornish coast on the 27th December until the first week of January so that I can ‘recharge’ before the new working year starts.

I now look forward to the Christmas period because I do it on my terms, whilst being respectful of others.

I look forward to seeing my family and friends, expectations have been managed when it comes to ‘who goes to who’ and ‘who is buying who what’ – well in advance.

Plus, I can throw all of me into the holidays because I have a break scheduled in just after so I can recover – win win win.

I have also neglected, quite intentionally, to add that it is my birthday on Boxing Day – so another year older always puts a downer on things anyway.

My top tips for thriving through Christmas:

• Map out what your ideal Christmas looks like for you. • Set some boundaries to ensure you get as close to that as possible. • Communicate that to everyone involved ASAP so it’s sorted well in advance – manage expectations. • If you feel you will be using lots of energy – schedule lots of ‘me time’ in too! • Ask people what they want too – often, we are all trying to please everyone based on what we assume!

Have a very merry Christmas, a happy holidays and a prosperous 2022!