The Psychology Of Emotions At Christmas

As December approaches, we can see how the streets are being decorated and how a festive atmosphere is forming. We receive messages from friends and loved ones, we begin to plan the details of the meetings we will have with them, and we look for ways to express our affection. It’s a time of meeting again and, more than giving and receiving, it’s a time to share.

Although many consider that this is a happy, familiar and fun time, there are people who live it in a different way, with nostalgia, sadness, frustration, stress, and even pain.

Far beyond how we perceive them, it may be that these dates are the time of the year when we experience different emotions the most, and these are directly related to the experiences we live.

Next, we’ll delve into the psychology of emotions at Christmas.

How do we feel about Christmas?

Christmas is not necessarily a time of happiness for everyone. Each one will have different emotions and sensations, depending on the most recent events that have taken place in their life, and also on what their childhood experience was like.

In childhood, Christmas is a time associated with holidays, gifts, and the magic of it all. There are also many fun Christmas activities, family gatherings, etc. So when we’re kids, it’s easier for there to be a higher prevalence of positive emotions.

However, the truth is that all this will depend on how the adults closest to the child perceive and live this time of year.

Anxiety is one of the emotions we most experience on these dates when we are adults, and it appears for several reasons, such as:

• The closing of the professional themes of the year.
• The firm’s meetings, dinners, parties and other engagements.
• Shopping for gifts and souvenirs for celebrations and meetings at home.

For these reasons, it is possible that we live these dates as days of “madness”, that we feel invaded by stress and end up hating everything. Also, if we’ve lost someone recently or go through a breakup, it won’t be easy to embody the Christmas spirit that others expect of us.

The Christmas approach from the psychology of emotions

According to the psychology of emotions, it is important that, at these times of the year, we can dedicate ourselves to identifying what we feel and reflecting on what is making us feel that way. Do we feel joy? Or do we feel sad, melancholy and angry?

It is important and necessary to understand our emotions, allow us to feel them and do what is in our hands to manage them and live them in a healthy way and in accordance with what happens around us.

We shouldn’t pressure ourselves with the idea that everyone should be happy during Christmas, and that if we aren’t, we need to make an effort to feel that way. In reality, we must accept our mood while trying to adapt to the situation as best we can.

Learning to put things into perspective to better deal with emotions at Christmas

When we are not going through emotionally easy times, one of the best methods to approach this time of year is to learn to relativize, that is, to give things the importance they deserve. This means that we can learn to see Christmas as something that does not require us to “be well”, solve things, obligatorily attend various types of meetings, etc.

By relativizing the occasion, we may discover that, just like the rest of the year, we should feel free to experience and live Christmas in our own way, with our own emotions.

When Christmas makes us feel negative emotions, it’s good to pay attention to this sign to make a change.

So, we can see this time of year as an opportune time to try to see the things that make us wrong in another way, try to better understand ourselves and manage the emotions we feel, while giving ourselves the opportunity to feel well.

If we set out to make a change, we can start to have different goals, which invite us to mobilize and take a series of steps. Taking action will help us begin to experience more positive emotions, such as willpower and motivation.

Our mood doesn’t depend on anyone else but ourselves. We generate our emotions, and we play an active (and fundamental) role in them.

Another aspect that will also help us to feel better is to watch and improve the type of thinking we have.

If you associate Christmas with something sad, your thoughts will run in the same direction, and your mind will be occupied by ideas like “what sadder dates”, “I hope this period passes soon”, “I can’t stand the happiness of others ,” etc.

It is important to take care and use our thoughts in a positive way, without letting ourselves be carried away by the ideas that make us bad. To do this, we must try to relativize Christmas, transform it into something more neutral, which makes things easier when it comes to living it.

The psychology of emotions plays a key role in our well-being at Christmas

Emotions can be very diverse at Christmas, and sometimes they can be ambiguous for the same person, leading to mixed feelings.

We can improve our emotional skills at Christmas if we seek to understand and respect our own emotions. We must also take the initiative to adopt a different attitude, step back from the negative perception we have and practice relativization to give things the importance they deserve.

We can enjoy the company of family and friends just as we do on any other date. No pressure, no obligation to be happy, and no harm to ourselves with negative thoughts.