Films and TV are full of images of women frantically rushing around, while a man drinks a beer in the background
Christmas may be pleasant, but as a single, almost 30-year-old woman, I can’t deny the stress that arises when the festive season rolls around. Perhaps it’s the internal stressors of not being where I imagined myself to be at this age – no kids, no husband, no beautiful big home and a puppy.
Maybe it’s the external stress from the societal pressures and expectations of women during this time: to be the best host, to provide the most perfect Christmas experience or simply, to have it all together. Outside our own orbit, there’s also the stress that we take on from current affairs, not least the cost of living crisis and political instability.
Dora Kamau is a mindfulness meditation teacher at Headspace, who teaches the holiday perfectionism meditation
