Family Triggered Anxiety at Christmas

Do you struggle with family triggered anxiety at Christmas? Is it hard to stay calm around difficult relatives?

You may already be worrying about dealing with family dynamics during December. Christmas can already feel more challenging than other times, with increased anxiety, stress and mental health struggles. There’s festive pressure, overthinking and social stress to contend with, along with darker days, unpleasant weather and the winter slump.

On top of these seasonal pressures, you also have to contend with family dynamics, relationships and tensions.

Instead of lights, food and celebration, Christmas can become about navigating old dynamics, unspoken tensions, difficult conversations and emotional triggers that switch on when certain family members are in the room. These can be things that directly affect you with other family members, or you may feel the tension and stress that lurks just below the surface involving others.

Family triggered anxiety can leave you filled with dread when you think about spending time with relatives. You get that tightness in your chest, a feeling of irritability and a sense of overwhelm. You can play out all the worse case scenarios, worry about things kicking off or play out conversations with people who cause you stress.

Family triggered anxiety is one of the most common forms of anxiety at Christmas. There’s the planning and navigating to try and make sure things go okay. And the constant worry and anxiety that something, however small, could spiral and ruin the occasion. There’s a sense of expectation and obligation to spend time with family. It’s a melting pot of stress, anxiety and tension that leaves you filled with anxiety.

If you struggle with family triggered anxiety then hypnotherapy for anxiety in Ely can help you. You can start feeling more calm, balanced, strong and in control around your family.

There’s more on anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely here: Anxiety Hypnotherapy

 

Why Family Anxiety Feels So Intense at Christmas

Family triggered anxiety can often feel so much more intense at Christmas.

You may feel completely confident at work, socially comfortable with friends and emotionally calm most of the year. Yet, around some relatives, you can be filled with anxiety, nerves and stress. If you already struggle with anxiety or panic attacks, Christmas can cause those unwanted thoughts and feelings to spike.

Family environments tap into old emotional memories, childhood patterns and past criticism, conflict or upset. You can feel judged by some and feel not ‘good enough’. There can be expectations, old roles and pressure to behave in certain ways.

At Christmas, these triggers can be magnified because you are often together, in enclosed environments, for longer periods of time than usual. Alcohol, tiredness and over-stimulation can affect moods and interactions. There can be high expectations and pressure to be seen to be happy, grateful and relaxed. You may be made to feel guilty if you try to avoid family situations. And leaving things early can be awkward and considered selfish.

It all signals threat and anxiety to your nervous system. And that means anxiety, stress and tension as you endure things and hope they go smoothly.

And family anxiety can show up in a number of ways.

You may feel tense, nervous and on edge before visits. You can overthink every interaction and then later on, replay conversations and seek reassurance. It can manifest as irritability or getting snappy and upset over small things. You might feel overlooked, belittled, powerless or unheard. There can be a strong urge to avoid family occasions altogether or to try and think of an excuse for getting away early. And after seeing family, there’s a mix of relief, anxiety and emotional exhaustion.

I’ve worked with clients who describe how they become someone they don’t even recognise, so far removed from their normal self. They are overly quiet and defensive. They try to people please and overthink everything. Their usual confidence evaporates.

Some people also experience this anxiety alongside panic attacks at Christmas, where you become so overloaded that it all spills into panic symptoms as well.

 

Protect Your Mental Health This Christmas

You may have told yourself, or been told by others, not to let it affect you. You can feel frustrated that you can’t rise above it or let it go.

But anxiety isn’t based upon logic and sound reasoning. It is all based upon emotion and what your brain has learnt to perceive as a threat. From past experience, your mind has learnt that particular family members mean criticism, rejection, belittling or tension. It’s locked in right now as a habitual association and pattern. Your mind and body react automatically with anxiety and this gets strengthened by supporting thoughts and feelings.

This is why family triggered anxiety often overlaps with overthinking at Christmas and end of year reflection anxiety. Your mind keeps replaying what might happen, what was said and done and what it all means.

Hypnotherapy can help you to deal with family triggered anxiety at Christmas. And, if family interactions are unavoidable this season, you may also want to take a look at my anxiety hypnosis downloads that can help you with your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

These small practical steps can also help you manage the emotional impact and your anxiety:

• Lower the bar emotionally: you don’t need perfect harmony and you are not responsible for others
• Set time boundaries: shorter visits are allowed and you can decide what is right for you
• Take breathing breaks: step outside and reset yourself. Use grounding techniques to manage your thoughts and feelings
• Practice calm assertiveness: you don’t need to slip into old roles or be that old version of yourself
• Most importantly: you are allowed to look after yourself and protect your peace – even at Christmas.

 

Hypnotherapy for Family Triggered Anxiety

Hypnotherapy for anxiety can help you to change your patterns of anxious thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

You can change old emotional associations and respond with calmness, inner strength and confidence. You can build emotional boundaries, reduce people pleasing and feel equipped to deal with whatever happens. Instead of anxiety and threat, you start to respond with inner confidence and self worth.

By taking back control over your thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions, you naturally feel more calm, grounded and in control around those family members.

If attending sessions in person isn’t practical over Christmas, online hypnotherapy for anxiety allows you to receive support from home.

You can’t change other people, but you can change your own thoughts and feelings. And that brings real emotional freedom.

If family gatherings leave you drained, anxious or emotionally exhausted, it just means that your nervous system has learned to protect you in emotionally difficult situations.

With the right support, it’s possible to feel calmer around family, more secure in yourself, and far less emotionally reactive – not just at Christmas, but all year round.

If family triggered anxiety is something you’d like to move beyond, hypnotherapy can help you feel steadier, stronger and more in control of your emotional responses. Get in touch and book a free initial consultation to learn more.

To your health and happiness,

Dan Regan

Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

 

Find out more about anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket: Anxiety Hypnotherapy

Could you use some help to overcome panic attacks at Christmas? Struggling with anxiety, stress, worry and fear and need some help? Find out how I can help with a Complimentary Anxiety Hypnotherapy Strategy Session. Learn more here: Appointments

Find out what hundreds of other people have said after their anxiety hypnotherapy sessions with Dan: Hypnotherapy Testimonials

And check out these popular and powerful hypnosis downloads that can start helping you right away with anxiety, confidence and more: Hypnosis Downloads