Holidays Are Not Fun. They Are Stressful.

Holidays Are Not Fun. They Are Stressful.

 |  by Andre  |  Holiday Psychology

Holidays are a great time to relax and de-stress. Or so we thought.

Truth is, for a lot of people out there, holidays are one of the most stressful time of the year! Do a quick Google search on holiday psychology and you’ll find a numerous results on dealing with “holiday blues”. Psychologist call the condition, “holiday depression“.

In fact, according to a American Psychological Association survey, 59% of women reported feeling sad or nervous, making them more susceptible to consume comfort food and eating more than they usually do.

What  causes “holiday blues”?

The University of Maryland Medical Center cited the following as some of the cause of holiday blues:

  • increased stress
  • fatigue
  • unrealistic expectations (emphasis added)
  • inability to be with family
  • memories of past holiday celebrations
  • over commercialization
  • change in diet
  • change in daily routines

Women, as a group, tend to care more about the holidays. Thus leading to higher expectations as to what have to happen during that period of time. Expectations lead to

  1. A desire to change daily routines and/or diet
  2. It also leads to over commercialization if they expect things to be lavish (most people do) but faces financial constraints

The change in daily routine, in turn, causes stress. And the preparation for the holidays causes fatigue.

How to overcome the holiday blues

When was the last time you just say down for a nice meal with your families and close friends? When was the last time you really took a break during the holidays?

It’s a great to reconnect and build bridges. Social interaction is beneficial for your brain. Keep things simple is always my recommendation. Never compare this year’s holiday season with past years.

If you insist on holding parties, here’s what I do:

  1. Make a list of everything that you have to do to make it happen
  2. Identify the things that you hate
  3. Request family members to help with them
  4. If no one is willing to do it (or you don’t trust them to do it the way you want it), get a temporary assistant. You can hire one from India for $5 an hour. Yes, they can’t pick up the cake but they can help you with lots of other stuff.
  5. If you’re not making use of the internet to do most of your task, you should try it.

Image by Ahmed Amir

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