OCD Action

THE OCD ACTION FORUM GUIDE TO SURVIVING CHRISTMAS

I’ve quickly jotted down a few tips for surviving Christmas. Does anyone else have any tips for surviving Christmas?

MEDICATION
If you take medication ensure that you take it as prescribed. For instance don’t miss a dose in order to have a drink.

EATING
If you’re not used to eating a lot having Christmas dinner followed by Christmas pudding and then snacking all day on festive goodies can give you terrible indigestion. You don’t need to go with out just be sensible and pace yourself.
A walk after Christmas dinner is an excellent way to not only help your digestion, it will burn off some of those calories and also gives you an opportunity to escape the confines of the house.

ALCOHOL
Drink sensibly over the Christmas period especially if you’re on medication. Alcohol might make you feel better initially but it’s a depressant and eventually you come down to earth with a bump.
An excess of alcohol is also the cause of many rows over Christmas.

STRESS
Don’t try to do everything yourself share the work load, for instance:
If you’re the one cooking Christmas dinner let other members of the family doing the washing up so you can relax for a while and then enjoy the rest of the day.
Christmas can be extremely stressful especially if you’re not used to being with others for the whole day so there’s no shame in taking time out if you’re getting stressed or if your OCD is playing up. Politely let the host know that you’re feeling stressed and need time to yourself so people realise that you’re not just being rude.
Go for a walk, explore the area. Even if you live there there’s always something new to see.

ARGUMENTS
Try to avoid arguments as this will raise your stress levels and fuel your OCD. It’s better to agree to differ and change the topic of conversation.

SUPPORT
Use the forum for support if you start to feel low.
For further support details go to Support details for Christmas and New Year
If you’re struggling with your OCD then refer to the following thread The OCD Action forums 101 tips for people with OCD guide