Coping with Christmas as a single female expat in the UAE

How not to let the festive season get you down!

Christmas is the time for families, carols, presents and, if you’re an expat in the UAE, missing the home country celebrations you loved. Especially if you’re single, female and working hard overseas, it can also be the time when your feelings of loneliness come to the fore, no matter how many parties you’ve been invited to. Emotions lurk just under the surface, and you do your best to hide your feelings so as not to spoil others’ enjoyment of the festive season.

At this time of year, stress is a reality, with research showing over 60 per cent of control groups experience panic attacks during the Christmas holidays. Even if you’ve family members visiting for the holiday, it’s a challenging time for expats already struggling with depression or anxiety, for whatever reason. Endless social gatherings and the pressure to spend money on extravagant presents can increase insecurity and damage your mental health, and the New Year celebrations can only make things worse, especially for those who feel they should have achieved more during the past 12 months.

Once you’re aware this time of year can be far less than festive if you’re not careful, there are ways to avoid negativity caused by too much introspection. The most important cure is to think of the future and refuse to brood over past regrets. Planning for the new and setting achievable targets is a positive development, but overindulging in food and, especially, alcohol won’t get rid of your low self-esteem and feelings of guilt. A recent survey by the UK’s Mind charity revealed 2 per cent of respondents become anxious about the endless social occasions during Christmas and the New Year, so don’t feel guilty if you decide to limit your involvement.

Another remedy for the Christmas blues is to get enough sleep, having remembered not to park your LCD screen smartphone or laptop in your bedroom. The light emitted by your favourite toys influences your body’s internal clock and can wreak havoc with a restful night’s slumber. Listening to a playlist of light classical music can help you relax and sleep like a baby, thus preparing yourself to face yet another day of festivities, parties, eating and drinking.