The temperature is dropping, and the days are getting shorter and shorter. Which means that Christmas is coming!
Everyone has their own version of Christmas. People may enjoy it for the celebrations, the food, the lights. For me, it’s all about being around my favourite people and sharing the festivities!
But despite all the positives there are to Christmas, it can still be a time of overwhelm for many people.
Where the ‘Christmas Fears’ Come From
Let’s be honest – if you were to turn the TV on right now, I can almost guarantee there will be either a Christmas special, or a Christmas advert. Am I correct?
Even if I’m not, I’m sure many spring to mind.
Now think about what you see in all these festive specials. Lots and lots of people. Tiny, intricate plates of food. Expensive wines, sparkly dresses and suits.
Can you relate to any of these? Because for me, that couldn’t be further from reality!
Christmases may have been different the previous two years – due to Covid – but even now things are returning to normality, I can’t imagine myself spending Christmas day with 30+ people! It’s all about quality, not quantity.
And that’s just one example. You might prefer a big roast dinner over small plates of appetisers. You might prefer to stay in cosy pyjamas over a sparkly gown. Of course, it’s all up to you, because it’s YOUR Christmas.
The point is, these films, programmes and adverts don’t really show a ‘perfect’ Christmas at all.
Because there isn’t one!
Don’t Go For the Perfect Christmas
Earlier this year, I spoke about why you should embrace imperfection. You can read about it here.
And this also affects Christmas.
Many people, particularly women, try to strive for the ‘perfect’ Christmas. And this puts a lot of pressure on you and can create anxiety in a number of ways.
If you have children, you might be afraid of disappointing them. Or you might worry others might think, ‘Our Christmas is better than yours!’. Even the media can affect you, and it’s not like you can ignore ‘perfect Christmas’ images – they are everywhere! In fact, I swear they’re starting earlier and earlier every year!
So, how can you feel more confident at Christmas?
Ask Yourself What YOU Want Out Of Christmas
Prioritise yourself at this time. What do YOU want? And no, I don’t mean present wise!
Instead of thinking ‘I want my family to be happy’ or ‘I want everyone to like their gifts’, put yourself first, and think about what you enjoy. Then, think about how you could incorporate that into Christmas.
Imagine, for example, there’s a plate of roast dinner in front of you. It’s got every single type of food on it, and it’s overflowing. You’d be thinking, ‘I can’t eat all of that!’. Then think, ‘do I even need all of this food?’
What you would then do, is take off the food that you DON’T want, and instead eat the food you DO want, right? Because that’s what Christmas is all about! If you hate sprouts – don’t cook them. If having Turkey isn’t your favourite thing then have a different roast, or none at all!
Maybe you don’t enjoy cooking, so go out for dinner. Maybe you want to celebrate Christmas on a different day, because of work or a birthday. Or maybe you don’t even want to celebrate Christmas, not everyone does.
Christmas is the Perfect Time to Grow Your Confidence
Here’s the thing – no matter how you spend Christmas, spend it wisely. I believe that the festive season is the perfect time to gain more confidence.
What do I mean by that?
Well, they say that Christmas is a time for giving. And what better gift is there to give someone than support? If your confidence is struggling this Christmas, the best thing you can do for yourself is to reach out to others. The more you help others the less you think about your own worries.
And helping someone else, improves your own confidence and self-worth.
Confidence can be shared, and can wear off on others, so aim to be around confident people if you can this Christmas. But even if you’re unsure about other people’s confidence, just being around people is enough to help improve yours. Communities are strong.
If you’d like to gain more confidence at ANY time of the year, then reach out to me at cheryl@cheryl-chapman.com so that I can help you come out of your shell!
Remember – ‘It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid…’
Cheryl xx
PS – The genetic blueprint really helps with understanding who you are and what you are here to do – fill in this 2-minute questionnaire and I will send you your own ‘genetic blueprint’ which will help you understand yourself so you can begin to find your why! You will find it here.
PPS – If the link doesn’t work for any reason (sometimes technology has a bad day) then email me on cheryl@cheryl-chapman.com and I will sort it out for you!
PPS – If you liked this blog and want to read more blogs surrounding female empowerment, you can find last week’s here: ‘How to be a Sense-ational Speaker!‘
“I’m on a global mission to help 10 million disheartened souls, who are at a crossroads, to STOP asking why me? And START saying why not me!”