I don't know about the rest of you in this Christmas Support Group (those who have participated and those who are reading from afar), but I'm really feeling the pressure now. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to suffocate from all the anxiety and stress. I literally have to keep telling myself to "STOP", "just breathe" and "focus on the 'why' of all of this". It's helping. The other thing I HAVE to do is focus on just one day at a time. Sounds cliche, but if I don't, if I try to look ahead at the zillion things that have to be done for each day that company is here, I can feel that suffocation rising up in me. So, other than ensuring that enough gifts and groceries are in the house (and even then we're only shopping for the 23rd - 26th, then will do the second round on the 27th), I'm just getting myself to each new morning and figuring out what needs to be done today. As soon as I step outside that parameter, I feel the mangled anxiety closing in on me.

How about you? TVC? KLM? How's the journey going with a week left (for some of us, the 23rd-24th is just the beginning!)

I hope you still feel safe to vent and visit here - remember, this is supposed to be a safe place for those of us who are struggling through this Christmas season and don't want to pull anyone else down into our grief, sadness, funk, stress, whatever...this is the place to be real!