Fuck I'm stressed. Is everyone stressed?

[LiviaSoprano]

Sorry, possible Grinch alert.

I'm just fucking stressed and knackered. Working til Xmas eve, loads of crap subs/unavailable items on my Tesco delivery tonight, house it a shithole, beds need changing, 2 obligatory social occasions this weekend one of which requires me to provide a nicely cooked lamb joint for 12 people, everyone at work is imploding at how much there is to do before 24th, cat is a bit poorly but vet can't figure out what's up, and of course the fucking Tories.

End rant. Thank god we don't have to leave the house on the 25th. After lunch and clean up I'm getting in the bath with a bottle of pinot and not moving until the bottle is empty and the water is cold.

I was starting to think it was just me.

Sick child. Dealing with the stress by eating all the Christmas treats myself, so will have to buy more. Have done no food shopping yet freezer already full with goodness knows what.
So busy shopping that I haven't done any Christmassy activities with the dc

@LiviaSoprano I’m in for next year. Is it ok if I do not bring DH, DC and all the rest of the family. So there can just be lovely, lovely peace with no one needing anything from me.

I was supposed to be on holiday from yesterday. Oh how I laughed and laughed when a completion I was supposed to get done yesterday didn’t happen (because my client is being a bit shit) and so I have to go into work today. But only after after I’ve taken one DC for a flu jab and before I take two cats to the vets for an appointment. Plus I keep getting told by my facilitated men colleagues (who have wives to sort Christmas) about how lucky I am to have 10 days holiday and how lovely Christmas will be. One of them told me yesterday to be positive! They’re extremely lucky I haven’t shoved a spruce pine up their arses sideways.

not stressed but then I never organise anything for Christmas. We are going away this year to a spa hotel and will just do lots of lovely walks in beautiful countryside, eat out and have all meals cooked for us and spend time in the spa. Bliss.

morning all, how are the stress levels today?
soprano yes, I'm counting down till the equinox and lengthening days!

last night I realised I had managed to fuck up the booking of a christmas event we are going to on Sunday and have booked it at time which will clash with when 17yr old DD needs to be at work (part time job while doing a levels) Got so stressed and snapped at dd, when it was my fault not hers, so dd stormed off making me feel even worse. meanwhile ds2 (11) was being a total pain and causing arguments with just about everyone and DS1 managed to smash his phone. I gave up, had a baileys and went to bed at 9pm!!!
Thank Christ I am off work now (although will have to log onto laptop later on as I have so much stuff to finish off) and have decided I am starting the day with a long run. Then I will do some house blitzing, make gingerbread house with dc, hide in the freezing garage for some present wrapping then collapse on sofa with a well earned glass of wine!

oh, and no, dh is totally unstressed as always because this time of year is exactly the same as any other for him. All he has to think about is getting up and going to work. But that is a whole other thread!

The frigging endless rain isn’t helping either is it? On the rare days I’m not working it’s tipping down. Hardly festive! I hate our weather.

It's the perfect Christmas social media posts that get me ☹️

@RickOShay
“I just don’t want to talk or be with anybody apart from my dog.”

Oh this a thousand times over.

The dog is my happy calming constant during this time. She also requires walking which even in the rain is the best way to get some head space away from all the rest of the crap going on.

I was uber stressed the last couple of years. I won't go into it, it was truly shit. This year it's different. It's been pretty hellish getting life better, but we have more time now.

I still can't get excited, this year we're all unwell 🙄.

I am now...pulled my back and can't do anything so that's scuppered Xmas!

I'm not as bad this year , a few years ago was very stressful as we were having a extension so we moved out . The work overran so I was worried that wouldn't be ready for Christmas. We eventually moved in with days to go so had the house to get ready . My car was in a accident non fault to me and was written off by insurance just days before Christmas so no car . I practically had to beg insurance for a hire car . Then I was ill over Christmas think it was all the stress as I didn't sleep well the last couple of months. It made me put things in perspective though what's important and who . Like some family were great that time don't know what we would've done without them but others no great . So the year after I scaled down and didn't make the effort to see people that hadn't bothered all year with us so much happier and relaxed .
We put too much pressure on ourselves buying gifts and seeing people that you don't think about all year .

the moment I decided to only give family a hamper of local food for christmas the stress melted away.

nieces&nephews get to go ice skating with me (chippy afterwards included)

which means we just have to 'endure' family for a few days.

@ScribblyGum
Exactly. Oh it’s pissing down?
Jolly good means nobody will want to come with me
He’s my therapy.

@RickOShay

Oh dear, what a pity, never mind

One of my biggest stresses (I’m ashamed to say) is my adult ds who is home from Uni for Christmas. He’s 24 and I do need to say he’s a lovely person who would give anyone the shirt of his own back, but he is a total slob!! He just leaves this trail of mess behind him as he goes through the house, particularly in my kitchen He also takes over the living room with his PlayStation and football games. I know I sound miserable but it just gets to me that I can’t find any peace and quiet and my housework and laundry have suddenly quadrupled!

Today I’m going to give him some chores to do instead of just silently fuming. “Delegate delegate delegate” needs to be my mantra now!

I’m writing lists. Am almost writing lists of lists. But I’ll get there.

Trying to hold onto the fact that nobody will die (hopefully) 🤞🏼And the world will still continue to turn.

@ScribblyGum
Might get lost today

Horribly stressed.

Work is awful, Christmas prep not nearly done, family coming to stay this weekend, younger daughter was up in the night with a temperature and sore throat, food prep not done even for this weekend never mind for Christmas, embarrassingly failed to reply to a party invitation for tonight, which I’ve now been (rightly) chased up on. The list goes on.

I feel sad, tearful and unable to cope. I just want everything to stop.

It has so helped me reading these! Over the last couple of months it seems to have been one thing after the other. I'm really behind with work - I work flexibly from home but have missed loads of my allocated work times recently because 2 year old has had bugs and missed childcare, I had an infection and 5 year old had two separate hospital appointments - these were just routine checkups but take out more or less a whole school day each because they're an hour's drive away. I have been up so many nights with coughing 2 year old I just want to go and stay in a hotel for the night... Finally had a chance to catch up with some work yesterday but had to go to bed after a few hours as have caught toddler germs. Argh!!! Husband has a significant birthday over the festive period and I want to make a fuss of him but am so not going to manage it as have focused on sorting kids presents. Thank you for giving me the chance of a little moan!! I used to like Christmas!!

Big day of list reviewing for me today, tomorrow's my last possible shopping day for dc.
...so I'm going back to bed for half an hour to gather my strength

Morning everyone.
Had a really bad nights sleep last night. I’m still sickly from the norovirus so having to rake another day off which almost certainly means I’m going to miss my works mad do tonight which is making me sad as it would’ve been the only pre-Christmassy thing I would’ve managed this year

My hubby emptied the very large sheds on Sunday of all the stuff that's been stored there for the last few years, and put all in the in the lounge/diner and hallway for us me to sort through. There's so much crap that I don't know where to start and I'm overwhelmed by it all. I've also only just started buying food/presents, etc, for Christmas so don't really have the time to sort through 70 odd boxes.
We're hosting on Christmas Day so it has to be done by the 24th!!

I'm so stressed that I can't function, and I've been out (appts, etc) every day this week, so I'm not finding the time to clear it all, on top of all the usual chores.

This was me last year and I vowed to do something different this year. So now, after a fifteen hour journey yesterday I am lying in bed in the Caribbean waiting for the sun to come up.
Who knows what it will be like but after reading this thread it's reminded me exactly why I booked it (straight after Christmas).

I’m off work till the new year now too DS is at nursery so planned on a full house clean and a Christmas food shop... I have currently done nothing but literally sit since 7:45am, I have an infection and I’m on antibiotics never once have I felt rubbish on antibiotics but this time all I feel is sick and sleepy.. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the Christmas juggling act along side, that I just can’t keep up with everything can’t even have a glass of wine Christmas Day.. bloody antibiotics

I'm joining in. Have had a UTI all week so have been off work feeling terrible, will have a huge backlog of work in NY and have no energy to get ready for Xmas.
Ex husband has been acting like a complete idiot and causing lots of stress.