Christmas is time to look forward with excitement for the vast majority of the population no matter whether you are religious or not. The New Year is often used to consider what new successes and goals a person wants to aim for. All in all, Christmas and New Year can be a very positive and uplifting time.

However, for some people Christmas can bring extra stress and anxiety. The thought of New Year celebrations can lead to feelings of dread and depression even desperation. You might consider this odd when Christmas seems to help the general population to be more considerate and compassionate towards each other.

Unfortunately for some people Christmas can be a reminder of everything that they view is wrong with their life. They might reflect on past Christmas's as a young boy or girl and reminisce about times of being carefree and without responsibility and feeling excited about their future.

Yet if things haven't quite gone to plan in a person's life, Christmas and all its glee may make their negative feelings even worse. They will perceive that everyone else seems to have a great life filled with successes and yet they seemed to have missed out.

Events that effect people's mood at Christmas can typically be: -
1) Separation or divorce and not being to be with the children on Christmas day
2) The death of a loved one
3) The anniversary of the death or a loved one occurring near Christmas
4) Ever increasing and unmanageable debts which can be made worse by the expense of Christmas
5) The loss of a employment
6) Few friends and family to celebrate Christmas with that can bring extra feelings of loneliness and isolation

Now virtually everyone will experience one, if not a number of these life events. Some of these events will be associated with Christmas and the New Year because they happened around this time. However, over time, these associations can be forgotten or turned into positive experiences.

We all cope differently and what for one person is their temporary difficulty, for another will be the last straw. If you feel stressed, anxious, low or depressed around Christmas and the New Year, then you do not have to play victim to these feelings. The bets way of dealing with them is to take action.

Some tips for helping cope better and to tackle that Christmas stress are: -
1) Chat to a trusted person about what is bothering or upsetting you. The Samaritans are great for this and will be expecting your call
2) Make a decision to tackle any debts before Christmas arrives so that you can enter the New Year knowing you have taken control
3) If you can't afford to buy presents for those who expect them from you, then tell them. If they are good friends and supportive relatives, they will understand.
4) Commit yourself into Christmas events. Do not turn invitations down. Your life will not change if you stay at home. However you go out and meet new people you give yourself a chance of new opportunities coming your way.
5) Volunteer to work for a charity over Christmas. Even if it is just working in the soup kitchens for one day. You will gain an amazing and life changing perspective.

If you need professional assistance, talk to a therapist who specialises in stress reduction such as a hypnotherapist or EFT practitioner. They can help you make your New Year start with a bang rather than a whimper.