Are you overthinking?
Christmas can be an overwhelming and stressful time for everyone and can lead many to overthink. But for those who have an anxiety disorder, the anxiety at Christmas can be extremely difficult to cope with. The following blog reminds us that perfect isn’t real and being here is good enough.
I wanted to write a post on overthinking as I am very much overthinking at the moment, and if anyone else is, I just want to say you are not alone.
Rising anxiety over Christmas
I think it may be the time of year, but I find my anxiety reaches new heights every Christmas that goes by. It’s strange isn’t it because you would think the more you do something the easier it gets, but being the mum, the wife, the daughter, the cook, the cleaner, the present buyer, present wrapper, the food buyer, menu planner just seems to get more and more angst ridden each year and not easier and I overthink everything because I just want everything to be perfect and magical for the family. Unfortunately though, I overthink – I over worry so much that my anxiety is so strong I cannot enjoy Christmas. So, I put on a happy face while secretly longing for the festivities to be over.
That’s so sad though because I used to love Christmas. But the pressure, the over thinking and the anxiety has almost covered my feelings of Christmas in a fog.
Heart palpitations have arrived this year and that’s new. So, naturally I was googling heart conditions and my anxiety hit the big time.
But I have to now admit to myself just how much I do overthink. And to be honest I have always been an overthinker I just haven’t realised. My overthinking was masked by being labelled “a worrier” and it has never been addressed or validated.
Perfect isn’t real
And it isn’t Christmas, or my own family that is causing my added anxiety. It isn’t even me. It is the pressure I put my own self under to do more, do better, be better – it must be perfect. But striving for perfect at the cost of my own mental health and happiness is far from perfect. In fact, perfect, in any situation and in any form does not exist. Perfect is a myth.
So, during this lead up to Christmas, I am going to give myself an early present, A daily reminder that perfect isn’t real. And by just being here is more than good enough.
So, if anyone else is feeling anxious, depressed or just not feeling great during this lead up to Christmas, I just want to say, you are doing great.
Thank you Caroline. I've felt the same way about Christmas. I have so many good memories of Christmas growing up. This one magical time of year when miracles happen, our favourite films are on television, our wishes come true from underneath a tree with a superhuman effort by one being to get gifts delivered in one night to every human on earth. Now it's "What will my family of origin think of me?" after starting my own family and settling in my own house, I realised "home truths can hurt".
AaronP - 17 Apr 2022, 6:29pm