Christmas is a time of reunion, love and joy. However, these dates can become a real nightmare when the only thing they cause us are headaches.
We all know someone who suffers something like anxiety attacks and hysteria every time these holidays approach, or the typical person who hates Christmas with all his might resembling the popular figure of The Grinch .
But as much as one jokes, a study has shown that 2 out of 5 Spaniards suffer from phobias of Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.
According to data from the Coaching Club, a pioneering center in group and personal therapies, in the last two years the number of patients who go to specialists for Christmas disorders has increased by 25% . These are based mainly on the eruption of a large accumulation of conflicting feelings and emotional burdens that have been endured throughout the year, such as stress, eating disorders, financial problems or directly, the family. Christmas is the last straw for hundreds of people.
Verónica Rodríguez , director of the Coaching Club explains: “although Christmas parties are usually positively emotional, since they involve celebrations, longed-for encounters, hubbub and relaxation; on occasions, this end of the cycle clasp takes us to an inevitable evaluative analysis of the time that has elapsed and, as a consequence, to a certain emotional instability in the form of anxiety, frustration or sadness caused by personal dissatisfaction with the unfulfilled objectives ”.
The Four Commandments of Christmas Upheaval
Phobias are irrational or disproportionate fears that invade the human mind and are externalized in the body, which is why they have a high somatic component . The month of December and part of January thus become a litmus test for those who suffer from these disturbances.
Among the most common symptoms, four main disorders stand out to classify the Christmas phobia. These are: social aversion, stress and self-demand, sudden sadness and compulsive shopping .
The first of them, social aversion , is marked, above all, by the massive family, business and social gatherings that fill the agenda in a few days and that reveal our weaknesses, dreams and frustrations. Therefore, specialists recommend working on the management of emotions and self-esteem.
“As the end of the year approaches and I take stock of it, I perceive an increase in dissatisfaction and stress when noting that not only have I not reached the goals that I set for myself, but that I have the feeling that I never achieve my goals. objectives “, comments one of the patients of the center, about the self-demand that she suffers. This stress can be somatized, generating feelings of anxiety, negativity, bad mood, eating problems and sleep disorders.
When stress rates worsen, they lead to the third component, sudden sadness events. Depressive states are maximized and give way to fears. Experiences like a near death, trauma and family arguments surface these days.
And finally, the commitment to give to each and every one of our loved ones. Christmas has the perfect setting for compulsive shopping : shopping malls with lights and music, flashy shop windows and promotions and discounts like hook.
Uncontrolled exposure to so many advertising strategies, excessive self-demand when setting goals, and low self-esteem when these are frustrated can produce unmatched stress and irreparable anguish when confronting what a normal human being can achieve and what this feeling generalized euphoria tax is intended to be achieved.
