A Christmas Message

I know I can't quite be as elequent as the formidable Mr Green in his address to the masses that famous Christmas a few years back, but hopefully mine will be richer on fact than the work of fiction his time at Rangers has turned out to be.

Be warned though, those of a nervous disposition with regards to mountains of paragraphs look away now as I may ramble a wee bit.

Christmas is a time of year that is celebrated by many different cultures because it can, even for those with no religious background, allow them to spend time with their loved ones, to promote healthy values and put the irreplaceable relationships we have with people in their proper place, at the front of our minds.
It can also be a time of great sadness, as the unspeakable tragedy in Glasgow that unfolded this week has illustrated. Christmas without people and the ones you love can be heartbreaking and from personal experience of berievement at this time of year it can be a time tinged with real sadness.

I think the greatest part about Christmas is that even if you strip away the religious aspects it offers a universal truth that one of the greatest joys you can have is sharing with other people, whether that be a meal, a present or those god awful Christmas jokes.

As someone whose own anxiety has made it challenging to get into the workplace I'd like to think this past year has taught me a lot about what is important and whilst what I say is not revolutionary I think this time of year more than any other it is worth sharing.
Whilst paid work has not always been available to me I have spent 6 months volunteering at the local hospice as an Administrator. Initially the concept of working there frightened me as I thought it would have a real sense of foreboding but it was actually one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited.

The reason for that is that there were so many people appreciating the time they had left by laughing and savouring every moment of their life, even with such a short amount of time left.
I know I have been guilty of wishing my days away, waiting for something good to just happen for me but I think these people I met for a brief time have it sussed.

Its essential to enjoy every moment of your life and to really go for it because you don't know what is round the corner either good or bad.

I would say as someone whose anxiety has impacted them materially, that you should never count yourself out. I went to my my first ever Work Christmas Party this year, I'm 25 and whilst I felt anxious I enjoyed it and was glad that I could do this. Part of the treatment for anxiety is mindfullness and the central theme of that is to live in the moment.

So my message to everyone this Christmas is to do exactly that. Have a fun, fufilling Christmas and many thanks to all for putting up with a full year of my paragraphed ramblings.