Holiday Stress

By: Staff Writer, Piper Aanes

Growing up is realizing how stressful the holidays are. Although gift giving, food making and partying is fun, it can come with a lot of pressure. Do your shoulders instantly tense up at the thought of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Does the thought of holiday overspending keep you up at night? If yes, then you may be experiencing holiday stress.

According to thriveworks.com, “Holiday stress is stress -- a common feeling when we’re under pressure or overwhelmed -- that occurs during the holiday season.” Everyone experiences this kind of stress although it is most common within women and teens. There’s a lot of pressure and expectations around the holidays. There’s the expectation that it’s warm, cozy and you’re seeing family and having magical moments. But not everyone’s family dynamics are warm and cozy.

The problem with the holiday season is that we often experience too much of a good thing. While stress itself is necessary for our survival and zest for life, too much stress has a negative impact on our general health. From copious amounts of parties and gift-giving as well as the temptation to overindulge in spending, these things can burden us with a lasting stress of dealing with consequences, ie: debt, weight gain, family drama, etc.

What’s more, in these difficult financial times, finding affordable gifts can be stressful in itself, especially when you’re expected to find gifts for friends and a never-ending list of family members. And although spending money on loved ones is important, it’s also important that you don’t fall into debt. But holiday spending isn’t just limited to gifts. There’s also decorations, professional photos, holiday cards, outfits for said photos and cards and travel expenses. Although not every family purchases all of these items, many have several of them on their annual lists.

Let’s not forget the stress of finals, either. School has always impacted the mental health of students in both good and bad ways, but it’s not unusual to find a stack of undone homework when the holidays approach. The excitement of winter break and the assumption of snow days can easily lead to pushing work to the side to focus on more interesting and fun activities. But being sidetracked from doing homework and studying can add additional stress on top of an already stressful test day.

To ease this stress, I recommend prioritizing your responsibilities. By having an agenda, building a schedule and creating goals for yourself, you can easily get ahead of the holiday stress.