I noticed something familiar yet uncomfortable this past weekend.  We ventured out in the pouring rain to Chiswick in West London.  It was one of those unavoidable visits to the supermarket, coupled with a notion that we might pick up a Christmas tree.  Admittedly, 12 mid day is not the best time to venture out.  Most people by then have surfaced after a long sleep and have decided to do exactly the same as we did.  It became apparent that we had made a bad choice when we drove endlessly round and round the car park at Sainsbury's looking for a car parking space.  I am fortunate that my partner is a much more placid driver than myself, as I Would have probably given up after 10 minutes.  Needless to say, we found a space and hit the supermarket.  I noticed that people had a look of madness about them.  Probably the combination of a busy week at work and then the added pressure of having to buy things for the festive season and battle with the hoards of other people doing exactly the same thing.  We shopped quickly and left!

The next stop was B&Q in search of a Christmas Tree.  Standing in the pouring rain, trying to imagine how the tree may actually look without the netting around it, we decided to abandon the idea and use the beautiful artificial tree stored in the roof at home.  A few ecological ticks in the box, a bid to save the planet and a few quid saved made the decision as easy one.

I began to wonder about the season of goodwill and also wondered if the credit crunch scare mongering had actually impacted people to the degree we are being led to believe, after all, there was no shortage of people out shopping.  There still seems to be a prevailing mentality that the stores are going to close for a long period and that there will be a shortage of food.  Crazy but it's true.  Old habits die hard it would seem.

For some of my clients Christmas is a bigger ordeal.  For those who have eating disorders or are struggling with alcohol dependency, this can be a very frightening time.   The social ethos of over indulgence in food and wine makes for a challenging time for some.  It is also a tough time for people who may have strained relationships within family units.  Often groups of people are forced together in an emotionally volatile environment.  So how do you survive the madness of this next 2 weeks?  Firstly remember that you can exercise your freedom of choice to be with who you like for how long you choose.  You don't have to over eat or be fearful of what is being pushed at you.  Make your boundaries clear.  If you need to keep sobriety as a focus, tell people you are on antibiotics and you cannot drink.  Avoid putting yourself in stressful situations where you feel you may be challenged unnecessarily.  Above all be vigilant about the people around you and remember that this can be a challenging time of year for some.  This is but a snapshot in time that is marked by some old traditions, this too shall pass and normality will prevail again.