Most people agree that Christmas time can be a stressful time of year for families. This can be particularly true when someone in the family is struggling with an eating disorder and is reluctant to come home or finds it difficult to be around people because of their difficulties with food.
New Year is sometimes difficult for those suffering as they may have ‘put away’ their worries for the festive season but they soon realise they still have them to deal with. Others perhaps realise that the year just ended has not brought them what they hoped for. And for some New Year’s Eve may well have meant too much alcohol which can cause low mood.
People may be alone again after the festivities and this can bring home the realisation that problems piled up over Christmas now have to be resolved and that anxieties and stress ‘put on hold’ over the holiday period are all still there. With the return to work
It might be helpful to get together with your loved one, and to think ahead about possible strategies that might enable you to help them to cope with any Christmas pressures.
