Why those cheesy Christmas films are so good for you.
I absolutely love those cheesy Christmas films you find on Channel 5 or the Christmas film channels. I find myself tuning into them earlier and earlier every year. As soon as I see the Christmas film channels pop up on my tv guide I get excited and start recording various ones so I am never without one to watch.
This may sound sad to some people and I would love to convince those people that it is actually great for your wellbeing and therefore not sad at all !
It’s not that the storylines are riveting – they are all very similar and you know what is going to happen within about 5 minutes. It’s not that the acting is brilliant – although you do sometimes stumble across some very good ones. It’s not that the staging or special effects are good – in fact some of them are a bit cringeworthy.
It is the feel good, warm glow it puts in my heart - family and friends coming together, people realising what is truly important in life, love, laughter, the wonderful Christmas songs - it's the magic of Christmas.
Anything that encourages you to feel warm, to smile, to sing can only be a good thing !
Many of us spend far too much of the time with not so feel-good feelings of worry, anxiety and overwhelm. This leads to anxiety, worry, stress becoming a habit – it becomes your default way of being. Your body becomes used to the way these emotions feel and automatically enters into this way of being. Being stressed or anxious becomes your default and, as with any habit, the longer this goes on, the harder it is to break out of it. You will literally find yourself looking for things to be stressed or anxious about so that your body will feel “normal”.
As with breaking any habit you need to start small and be consistent – be aware of when you are searching for things to worry about or when you are automatically staying inside worry and think of something else – something that makes you feel good. For example, something you are looking forward to, a recent event that you really enjoyed, people that you love. Force a smile or sing a song. Anything that breaks that habitual way of being, even if it is just for a few minutes.
It's probably obvious where I am going with this !
Watching a feel-good film (of which Christmas films are almost always feel-good) encourages you to feel warmth, joy, love. They encourage you to laugh and sing (Christmas films again!). They help you to enter a way of being that is good for you and to stay there for a while, ending with a warm rush of happiness and love.
Indulging in these cheesy Christmas films is, therefore, a form of self-care and is extremely good for your wellbeing. It is a way that you can break free from those habitual stress hormones and anxious thoughts. And the more often you do that, the longer you spend feeling positive emotions, the easier it becomes to experience them.
And that is my case for cheesy Christmas films.
When are you going to put on you fluffy socks, put your feet up, make yourself a cuppa and indulge in some Christmas magic ?
Lisa x
