Christmas and Stress. Does Christmas cause stress for you or your loved ones?
Stress is everywhere and even holidays that should bring you only peace, relaxation, love, and time together with your loved ones and your family can cause more stress than joy. Sad, but it is true even for me.
I am not a big fan of organizing stuff only because we need to do it and I am not making big family gatherings or a lot of presents for my family members, but I still feel the tension when my brother and mom are coming to my town. We all are different so sometimes it’s not easy to avoid specific things to talk about.
Yes, there is this stress called holiday stress.
Do you want to know more about what is holiday stress? CLICK HERE for more information.
Christmas and Stress
Christmas is meant to be a time of good relaxation, cheer, and celebration, but I know for sure that for many people Christmas is stressful and there are many reasons why is that. So Christmas can come with a lot of stress for many of us.
Sound and Vision
Coping with fewer daylight hours can be difficult for people, and somehow I believe that impacts almost everybody. It impacts our mood and well-being. Did you know that being too dark or too bright causes negative moods? Actually, our brains don’t like that generally dark environment is regularly punctuated with bright lights, but Christmas decorations are all about that.
If I speak for myself, I don’t feel that Christmas decorations and lights impact my stress levels or mood. Okay, okay, it impacts me somehow, but usually, I feel happier and more hopeful for the future (like the woman in the image below). I guess we all are different. How is this problem for you?
According to the Guardian, even Christmas songs can lead to stress and negative mood, because they can become annoying and unpleasant with time. Lately, I can’t even listen to the same Christmas songs that I liked before, and I choose different types of songs and other music for Christmas celebrations. What about you?
Festive Workload
If we want a great Christmas, there needs to be someone who will organize everything and experience greater stress because of it. I know for myself how hard is it even if our family tries to keep it simple and easily done. Yes, of course, I experience holiday stress and too often I feel tired after Christmas.
There are too many things to be done at this time of year. Decorating, cleaning, food and gift buying, gatherings, organizing things, and other tasks at work and home can cause a lot of stress and make you less happy about the upcoming holidays. You can be even too tired to care about it.
Great Expectations
Usually, great expectations are what make us worried, anxious, and stressed in the first place. Of course, expectations about Christmas can cause you too much unwanted stress and worry. We all want a perfect Christmas like it has been portrayed on TV or postcards.
I am sure you have your own Christmas expectations. But if you also count that you need to update everyone on your social media account on how great your Christmas is, that can cause even more stress for you. I never do that.
Family
You all know how important is that you have a family that supports and loves you. But in the short term, your family can cause a lot of stress. Did you know that family gatherings during the holidays are rarely stress-free? I guess you experienced something like that in your family gatherings. Right?
Do you know what makes you stressed? Do you experience that a prolonged period in close quarters with a lot of your family can be stressful? I have experienced that, but my family gatherings aren’t big ones. So what could happen if there are a lot more people? I am afraid I wouldn’t cope with that very well so I am glad about the current situation.
I need more privacy than having a house full of people even if I love them so much, and it is one of the causes of my holiday stress that is more overwhelming than other kinds of stress. How about you? Other people are just stressful to be around if it’s for a longer period of time and you can’t get away.
Another problem is that I need to be in control of the situation, but in this case, it’s not really possible, so I become more and more stressed. Of course, I try to deal with it, but somehow I believe that holiday stress impacts me more than other kinds of stress. I would love to know your experience and feelings about it.
Eating and Drinking
Most of us eat too much at Christmas time, and it negatively impacts our mood, health, and well-being. People eat high-calorie foods, that reduce stress feelings of stress for a short period of time. But in the long run, it’s bad for our stress levels and stress management because our bodies seem to store more fat when we are stressed. Drinking alcohol is even worse.
Conclusion
Christmas is a very special time when we come together, relax, and celebrate, but if we are stressed about upcoming holidays, the Christmas spirit is lost and we can’t enjoy this time the way we should.
It’s important to properly manage stress especially to manage holiday stress in this case, and then you can enjoy your holidays.
Christmas can be a brilliant time and we can enjoy ourselves, but we need to recognize good things aren’t given automatically.
Everything requires effort, investment, and, of course, our time. If we can understand that, then this time will be less stressful for us.
Do you celebrate Christmas? How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you experience holiday stress? What do you do about it? Let me know below!
How to manage holiday stress and feel better at this very special time? CLICK HERE for more information.
Thank you! Until next time!
Linda Mo
Founder of How To Reduce Stress Naturally