For many people around the world, the holiday season is a joyous time of vibrant gatherings, shared meals, and festive decorations. Hype for the season rises as early as October and exciting events snowball through the dawn of the new year. Among hot holiday topics continues to be the timeless debate of when to decorate for Christmas, with 43% of Americans putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving and the rest seemingly horrified by the idea. While holiday enthusiasm can be contagious for the masses, it’s not the only shared emotion around the holidays.
With all of the parties, shopping lists, rich food, and family commitments on top of everyday responsibilities, it’s no wonder 38% of Americans feel extra stress during the holidays, often coupled with fatigue, irritability, sadness, anger, and loneliness. Though the effects of holiday stress can disrupt your life, they don’t have to. You can learn ways to manage stress, cope with difficult emotions, and get back to enjoying the holidays.
Why do we stress so much during the holidays?
Holidays are meant to be jolly and a time to reconnect with loved ones and traditions. So why all the stress? Here are a few reasons why we might feel muddled instead of jolly:
Too many activities. From October to January, there’s hardly a moment to recover after one holiday event before it’s time to prepare for the next. Parties, shopping, cooking, planning, religious ceremonies, and decorating are meant to be exciting activities, yet too much may be draining.
Too much spending. It is easy to get stressed out about finances, especially with the pressure of finding the perfect gift for everyone on our list. One survey found that 22% of Americans go into debt to fund their holiday spending, yet 70% believe Christmas is too focused on money. Financing gifts, food, and events can be a huge source of stress, especially when we don’t feel like our spending is worth it.
Too much food. We all want to treat ourselves once in a while (and we sure do deserve it), but the holidays offer many tempting excuses to overindulge on rich foods and festive cocktails. Bloating and weight gain often make people feel uncomfortable or harm their self-esteem. Furthermore, overeating may make you feel sluggish and make it harder to practice self-care habits that help protect your mental health
Too many people. While some families look forward to reunions, breaking bread together can be like walking on a field of landmines for others. Seeing certain family members may be triggering for some people with trauma, or controversial topics could spark difficult conversations that dim spirits. Even in pleasant company, too many people and parties can still drain your battery.
Tips for managing holiday stress
Too much of any good thing can quickly become detrimental. That’s why planning ahead, prioritizing, and adjusting your expectations can help you do less and get back to what matters most to you. Try these tips to maintain your mental wellbeing this holiday season:
Know your stressors and priorities. First, you should take inventory of what contributes to your stress and what brings you joy. You can do this by journaling, talking it out with a loved one, or even simply monologuing in your head. Knowing what triggers anxiety can help you identify what to cut out of your schedule and focus on your holiday priorities.
Say no sometimes. It’s hard, we know. Sometimes we want to do it all, but respecting our own boundaries can help limit those social events and financial commitments that stress us out. Check out these statements you can use to safeguard your time boundaries during the holidays.
Budget and shop early. As early as you can, sit down for a money date with yourself and plan out your finances for the holiday season. Prior to shopping, choose who you truly want to buy gifts for and narrow down the list if possible. Decide how much you want to spend on each person and go shopping early enough so you won’t wind up packed between desperate shoppers and sparse shelves.
Keep a schedule. Whether on paper or with an app, mark down your holiday shenanigans so you can get a realistic visual of all your commitments. It might surprise you how little time is left over. Before your calendar gets too full, schedule in blocks to commit to your holiday priorities. That might mean “me time,” family time, or walks in nature for a little serotonin boost.
Practice acceptance. Before potentially stressful parties, identify what you can and can’t control. For example, you can’t control Aunt Karen’s anger or cousin Roger’s sense of humor, but you can control your reactions. Things may not happen the way we want them to, and we don’t have to like it, but it does help to acknowledge where we can and can’t exert control.
Take care of yourself. In times of stress, we often abandon healthy habits and self-care routines. We’ve rounded up a few key tips to help you practice self-care this holiday season:
- Be kind to yourself
- Ground yourself if anxiety strikes
- Allow yourself to feel your feelings
- Practice mindfulness
- Practice mindful holiday eating
- Get some sun
- Keep up your exercise routine (or try these exercises to manage stress!)
- Maintain therapy visits, even if you feel fine
Reach out
If you’re regularly feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, irritable, or just can’t seem to find joy, consider speaking to a therapist. Unmanaged stress during the holidays can lead to dread surrounding the season, and even Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that can last through fall and winter. Maybe managing stress isn’t so easy on your own. That’s okay. You don’t have to do it alone.
Our therapists at Austin Anxiety and Trauma Specialists offer online counseling to all residents of Texas. Book a session with us today and we’ll match you with a therapist who can help you manage stress beyond the holiday season. It can get better. We can help.
