I realise this is in contradiction to what most people would say, as everyone wants to push themselves, to show what they can do and prove their worth. Particularly at this time of year, I'm hearing more and more stories about Shopping Centres being open until 10pm and 11pm, and I have visions of some poor sod, putting the kids to bed and then going shopping or finishing a 12hour day glued to a computer and then going shopping. In the words of a great mind, "Sod that for a game of darts!" I know this is a nightmare time of year, where all you can see is a great raft of people you could possibly let down or disappoint, where your life doesn't look like the adverts and that makes you feel like less of a human being and there is always some Smug Arse, telling you that their decorations are up/they've finished decorating/wrapping presents/stuffing turkey/mosaic tiling their bathroom, pick your reason to stab them with a sprig of holly and delete as appropriate.
Life is not supposed to be 100 miles an hour 24 hours a day, if you try you will flake and I guarantee the mistake you make will seem bigger because you are so tired. I met a woman yesterday who is already in a flat out spin about the fact she is cooking Christmas Lunch for the first time. I could actually see her eyes starting to roll with the stress, but she was past the point where she could ask for help. I actually thought she was going to have a melt down over Cranberry Sauce, so much unnecessary pressure. It's just a meal and you know what, no body really likes it anyway:- that's the problem with taking on other peoples traditions, the stress because it isn't your natural behaviour, added to the stress of being judged on something you aren't comfortable doing, added to the stress of having 20 people you don't speak to 364 days a year round for hours of conversation - my eyes would roll and I'm a fairly good cook. She wasn't a natural cook you could see that, so why offer? I know "Tis the season". No-sorry, "tis the season of good will' not the season of ridiculous amounts of stress and judgement.
In the years I have wondered around the planet I've learnt a few things about myself, mostly that my ID is stronger than my Ego, let me eat and sleep and I can cope with anything, but deprive me of either or both and I will be useless on a level you don't usually see without a Nappy. I know that if I don't look after myself really bad things happen, really quickly - I don't know but I imagine you are the same, because you are human. If you do not look after yourself particularly at this time of year, you will lose it, maybe over Cranberry Sauce(?) So instead of going shopping at 9 o'clock, when frankly the Shop Assistants will be surly as they would rather be at home and they are judging every single person shopping, on the grounds that as far as they are concerned, it is your fault that they are standing there. I'm just saying, maybe crack the back of that book you got for Christmas last year, see what's on the old SKY+, that you never bothered to watch, talk to the other people in your house, take a well deserved nap. The good news is, if nobody knows your plans they won't have a clue if things go wrong, so what's the point of stressing about it.
Things can be just perfect without even an ounce of 'perfection'.
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