What are things we do that may unintentionally increase our holiday anxiety? Can you give specific examples?
People tend to overdo it at the holidays, and this is a reason that many of them experience holiday related anxiety. Many tend to measure the success of the holiday season by how many people they can entertain, how much food they can consume or serve to others, how many gifts they can give, how many cards they can send out, etc. This is a mistake because it can lead to great stress and it’s not necessarily in the spirit of the holidays, which should be focused more on spending time with loved ones and being thankful for the blessings received over the last year.
Why do you think holiday-related anxiety is so common?
The holidays have become very commercialized, with most people not being able to avoid the pressure which is also driven by media coverage of what other people are doing at the holidays. For this reason, holiday stress is very common with everybody trying to outdo each other in their holiday activities.
What are tips to prevent holiday anxiety?
Preventing holiday anxiety can incorporate everything from exercise and deep breathing, to spending time in the great outdoors to making sure you don’t overdo it by eating and drinking so much. It’s also important for people to monitor how they’re feeling. It’s hard to tone it down if they’re starting to develop undue stress.
