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Welcome to Blogmas Unboxed!!
I don’t care how stereotypical I’m about to sound, but I literally and honestly can’t believe the launch/December 1st is finally here! Cleo (owner of Etsy store; Phoenix Cove) and I have actually been working on this year’s Blogmas series since the beginning of August! And being as open and honest as I am on my blog, it’s been incredibly difficult and challenging not to spill the beans about the entire series in our Halloween reveal (which you can read here) earlier in the year! So, this introductory post is a huge relief and it’s a real pleasure to finally be able to publish it and see the reactions, opinions, thoughts, and feelings of my readers and Cleo’s customers. We’ve both worked so incredibly hard on this series, so we truly hope you enjoy every moment as much as we have enjoyed putting it all together! So, we’re kicking things off with this post full of mental health advice for this festive period…
1.
Don’t feel bad if a friend buys you a gift and you haven’t given
one to them, if they really are your friend then this won’t matter – you
shouldn’t give, in order to receive.
2.
Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to say that you need to budget an
allotted amount which might vary depending upon who you’re gifting – everyone
is aware of the Cost-of-Living crisis.
3.
Suggest an affordable, festive day out with a friend that might be
less costly than buying gifts and can leave you with some special memories rather
than an empty box or sweet wrapper.
4.
If you find math and budgeting tricky, try sitting down with
someone you trust who might be better knowledgeable and able to help you manage
your bills whilst also engaging in activities.
5.
If you’re creative, try your hand at gifting loved ones with
handmade items that can help keep you feeling productive, can provide an outlet
for the creativity, and mean a smaller budget.
Relationships:
1.
No family is perfect – remind yourself of this if arguments and
dramatic interactions are getting in the way of enjoying family visits, festive
activities, and adventures together.
2.
If Christmas means time off work for you, make sure you make the
most of it by balancing spending quality time with loved ones who you might
typically struggle to see with ‘me-time!’
3.
If you have another half, consider gifting each other with some
sort of activity or experience that you can do together rather than a materialistic
present that might end up broken!
4.
Utilise this fun, exciting, and joyful occasion as a big
inspiration and motivation to spend some light, innocent time with the young
people and children in your life.
5.
Let yourself get caught up in the celebration aesthetic that is
rife amongst Christmastime and utilise it as an opportunity to pay gratitude to
those whose support you value and appreciate.
Specific
mental illness symptoms:
1.
Know that it’s not unusual to struggle even more with your thoughts
and feelings around food at Christmas; but be persistent in reminding yourself
that this is just the exact same length as any other month, week, or day – and
if you can get through those, then you can get through this too!
2.
Don’t be too afraid or totally taken aback if any hallucinations
or psychotic thoughts and beliefs escalate; this can be a likely possibility and/or
a direct result of this festive period because there is such an enormous use of
imagination and incredibly far-fetched stories that it can almost
sub-consciously rub off on your own sense of reality.
3.
If you begin to experience – or find that which is already there,
increases – suicidal thoughts and feelings, don’t be afraid that speaking out
about it will ‘spoil’ the entire festivities for everyone and deem that to be a
reason or rationale not to seek professional help and support.