Holiday Stress: 8 Ways to Keep Your Sanity

The weather outside might be frightful but inside it's definitely worse. According to New York psychologist Jay Seitz, 25 percent of people experience some kind of holiday anxiety or depression. That is, one in four people sipping eggnog feel like that stale, bland, unpopular fruitcake that was re-gifted five times before it was fed to the neighbor's cat on Christmas Eve. Yes, the holidays do bring a magic and excitement to the month of December, but the stress, loneliness and blues pre-packaged with the festivities can be enough to drag one-fourth of us across the tenuous line from sanity to insanity.

Here are 8 tips intended to keep you from hurling the mistletoe at Uncle Fred because he asked for the butter in the wrong tone of voice.

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Originally published on Beyond Blue at Beliefnet.com.

 

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Comments

[wzjussayin]

12:18 PM on 12/06/2011

I like to think about the light, that it's so dark outside that at the base, as human beings, we're coping with that. I am sure to take walks outside to observe nature, which can get overlooked at this time of year, and to observe the lighting and decorations that to me symbolize how much people want to communicate with each other and say that we're all going through this huge phase together; there is no getting around the cold and the dark, let's check in.
The quiet of the outdoors can be especially exquisite at this time of year.
Appreciating all of these posts.

[darquelourd]

03:52 PM on 12/05/2011

I just look at it as time off.

[thegrrrr8est]

02:51 PM on 12/05/2011

What stress? The only people feeling stress are those who have bought other people's ideas of how the holidays should be celebrated. Don't have time to send cards? Don't send them. Overwhelmed by the day's work it takes to put up a tree? Don't put up a tree. Stressed by the astonishing amount of money it costs to buy gifts for everyone? Make a small contribution to a charity that you care about and let people know you did it in their honor. Or, even better, have a small dinner party instead and share stories of why you love each other.

Have the maturity and good sense to make the holidays be what YOU want them to be. Lose the tyranny of "tradition". Every tradition is just somebody else's idea of how to celebrate the holidays blindly followed by people without the imagination to create their own magic.

Living in a war zone is stressful. Having cancer is stressful. Losing a child in a car wreck is stressful. Losing yur job or your house or your sight, those are stressful. The holidays? Not unless you chose to make them so.

[N Amma]

05:12 PM on 12/05/2011

I applaud you!!! Thanks.

[fargo1]

02:33 PM on 12/05/2011

Well I know many people who become depressed and I can go through some fleeting moments and
Then I look around my world and know without a doubt I am blessed.
I love giving presents even if they are small. I love listening to all kinds of Christmas music!
This is the end of the year. Time to reflect, hope, dream and love. It is time to share,
Forgive, and be grateful. I love being around my family. I wish my immediate family were
More in touch with one another. Things happen. Happy Christmas to all!

[idj57]

02:11 PM on 12/05/2011

"How the hell do you think I am"? Congress is so screwed up and corrupt they can't come together to save our nation. Businesses and lobbyists are so consumed with protecting their trillions in tax haven countries and lobbyists are more concerned with buying favors with our members of congress. Congress is engaged in Insider Trading by way of Defense Funding, Homeland Security Funding, Federal Prison Funding, Health Care Funding and a full recipe of Alphabet Nonsense. All I want for Christmas and for my loved ones is: A change of hearts and minds in America which is not consumed with one up man ship, corruption, greed, arrogance and become True Americans! Many in our halls of congress and state capitols could learn some lessons from our military, our families and our veterans. It Is Not All About You, members of congress! Just in case you need to be reminded, there are over 350 Million Americans who are suffering because of your failures during the past 13+years.

[Palspal2]

02:03 PM on 12/05/2011

What holidays? As if there were a slew of them .There is Christmas, which can be stressful. But what stress does New Year's Eve bring? Nothing. Just go to bed. Nothing really happens that night. And New Year's day is nothing if not dreadfully boring. So don't exagerrate the 'holidays' - it's just Christmas. Agree with your significant others not to overdo it.

[InVinoVeritasBC]

01:00 PM on 12/05/2011

I am guessing I'm fairly alone in this, but I don't find the holidays stressful. I don't know what people are exactly stressing over? Is it expectations? Money? I'm no expert, but I do know that the more pressure you put on yourself to make the holidays "perfect", the less likely it is that you'll stay in the moment enough to enjoy them! This IS a magical time of year. Stop focusing so much on the material side of the season and focus on the beauty of it!

[BrandyWine25]

12:20 PM on 12/05/2011

Where was the slide for "Avoid Relatives"?

[brainsurgery1]

09:02 AM on 12/05/2011

Isn't this all about honing your skills for denial? The best advice is take enough sleep meds to get a full night's sleep and in all likelihood things won't seem as dreary when you wake up refreshed to deal with cranky relatives and friends who didn't get enough sleep. Actually, it would be even better if a timed sleeping agent could allow us to sleep until January 2, 2012. We wouldn't wake up deeper in credit card debt after the religious holiday that is really the biggest commercial scam yet for getting normally sensible people to exceed their already strained financial limits.

[drj516]

08:38 AM on 12/05/2011

For those who want to change their experience of the Holidays, might I suggest you read my article, "A Psychological Christmas Present?" The title is also a play on words, and, as a psychologist, words are the tools I use to assist people to gain perspective and change what doesn't work.
jamesbarrickphd.com/APsychologicalChristmasPresent.en.html

[marcelawagner]

02:00 PM on 12/05/2011

Hi, tried to connect to your link, but it doesn't work. Would you be so kind as to repost it? Thanks.

[janehenderson]

03:38 PM on 12/04/2011

During stressful times like holiday season, your brain uses up neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA much more quickly than usual and you can become depleted, leaving you feeling down or anxious. The best way to deal with the stress of holiday season is to make sure your brain is producing enough neurotransmitters to cope with the stress.

http://www.gethelpfordepression.info/

[marcelawagner]

02:02 PM on 12/05/2011

Very interesting, but what about the people who have nobody? The elderly, the lonely, the relocated without money to go home, etc. I think it is just pathetic the way people get so attached to a "tradition" imposed on us to give gifts (money we don't have), be jolly (although you are depressed) and be with family (even if you have none).

[thegrrrr8est]

02:53 PM on 12/05/2011

I agree with the pathos of getting attached to "traditions". That said, if you're lonely, go volunteer at a soup kitchen. Nothing will make you feel better than using yourself in the service of people who have real problems.