Tis the season to be jolly!

So we are on the run up to Christmas, everywhere you look people are now beginning to get excited for Christmas, even after this horrible year you can feel a glimmer of that festive feeling.

I am a Holiday-holic. I love holidays. I probably love them too much that I even ruin them!

I overthink everything about a holiday so much that I get overwhelmed, creating a horrible feeling between the idea of what I think is the perfect holiday and then feel like I have let everyone down when it doesn’t go how I had hoped for.

The emotional pressure I put on myself, the temptation to spend too much, the wanting to enjoy a glass of champagne and having to be strong enough to say NO, because being on my medication it could be life threatening – the list of triggers and stresses just go on and on. Over the holidays I have to be so strong and stick to my routines that it can just be too much for me.

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas – but there are certain rules I have to stick to in order to not slip as it can be so easy to  !!

Trying to stick to my sleep routines, stick to my medication regime. What the heck – I make plans about everything if it makes me feel better, uncertainty is a huge trigger for me but I try not to over schedule because I know I will need ‘ME’ time .I get overly excited very easily- I make these plans that seem like a good idea at the time and then instantly regret it!

My bipolar illness makes concepts like willpower and choice irrelevant once an episode takes hold. So I focus on trying to prevent these, by controlling what I have in my power to control, like my routines.

Make these holidays a genuine HAPPY TIME for you and your loved ones.

Write to me and tell me how you cope with the holiday season. Don’t forget you can also follow me on facebook @mswillowbipolar.

Love Ms Bipolar x