Are you filled with festive fears rather than festive spirit? Take our quiz to find out where you land on the stress-o-meter….
- Going Christmas shopping is:
- Usually a last-minute rush! 2
- Great fun! You really enjoy shopping for your family and friends. 1
- An absolute no-no. Bustling shopping centres are awful. 3
- Nan knits you a horrendous novelty jumper which you immediately put on to spare her feelings. Inside, you’re feeling:
- A little silly but it’s just for one day. 2
- Extremely self-conscious and insecure. 3
- Absolutely fine and proper festive. 1
- Choose the perfect Christmas dinner scenario:
- A cosy festive meal with just your closest family. 2
- A big dinner with the whole fam – cousins, aunts, uncles… the lot! 1
- A normal Sunday dinner situation, please. 3
- The idea of the two-week Christmas holiday fills you with:
- Relief. 2
- Uneasy. 3
- Festive joy. 1
- How do you feel when you’re opening presents?
- Mainly excited. 1
- Under pressure. What if you don’t like what someone has bought for you? 3
- Sometimes nervous – you don’t always like people watching you open gifts. 2
- Pantos, shows and festive fayres are:
- Something to be avoided. 3
- Part of the fun! You love them. 1
- OK, but it depends how many people are there. 2
- Which of these would you do to give yourself a break from the chaos of Christmas day?
- A walk in the snow to get some fresh air. 2
- Sneaking off to your room to lie in the dark. 3
- A break?! You enjoy every minute of the mayhem! 1
- You’re invited to a friend’s Christmas party. You:
- Immediately plan your outfit and look forward to dancing the night away. 1
- Politely decline or make up an excuse not to go. Parties are not your thing. 2
- Spend the next week worrying about what you’ll wear, who will be there, what time to leave… 3
- A relative who lives far away is coming to stay for Christmas and your bedroom is the only room with a spare bed. You:
- Don’t really want to share a room but it’s only for a couple of nights. 1
- Point-blank refuse. The thought of someone else in your room fills you with absolute dread. 3
- Offer to swap rooms with someone else – ANYONE else – to avoid having to share. 2
- Mum asks you to help with decorating the tree. You:
- Suggest she might want to do it herself. You might mess it up and what if she doesn’t like it? 3
- Gleefully smother it in tinsel, baubles and lights. 1
- Spend ages selecting the perfect baubles and placing them in just the right place. 2
Now add up your points to find your stress score!
1-9
FA-LA-LA-LAID-BACK & LOVING IT!
You embrace all things festive and actively enjoy the hustle and bustle of all things Christmas. You’re not at all fazed by a roomful of relatives or a noisy dinner table, but even the biggest festive fan needs a minute or two to themselves.
10-20
SANTA STRESSIN’
Like most of us, the strain of Christmas gets to you from time to time. Being more organised can help to ease the stress or ask a family member or friend to help you out with some of your Christmas tasks. A problem shared is a problem halved!
21-30
NOT SO HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS
You often find yourself feeling anxious at Christmas – and you’re not alone. Many of us feel like it’s all getting too much and it can become a real source of pressure. Explain to family and friends that you find some aspects of the festive season stressful and ask them to give you space when you need it.
If you start to feel like your anxiety is getting out of control, you can find ways to cope here or call 0800 1111 to speak to a trained specialist confidentially.
