Holiday Stress: How To Reduce Stress & Anxiety During The Holidays

For many families the holiday season is full of joy, fun, get-togethers and relaxation. Does this sound like your family. You most likely would not be reading this article if it were true. What you need to know is that holiday are stressful and anxiety does exist during this time for most families. So, what are the holiday season facts when it comes to holiday anxiety?

• Over 40 million Americans live with some sort of anxiety disorder.
  Axious children tend to be even more "hyperaware" and more anxious during the holiday times.



• Social anxiety is at it's all-time high.



• Alcohol and other non-prescribed medications often intensify anxiety.
  Buying and travel plans during the holidays are often reported at the #1 cause of anxiety.
  
  

How To Reduce Stress & Anxiety During The Holidays

1. Plan ahead: Try to anticipate stressful situations by talking to your children and other family members in advance about what causes anxiety.



2. Be Kind To Yourself: Eat, sleep and exercise. Take time to relax!



3. Set Realistic Expectations: Don't over-do the holidays. Avoid attending too many evants, activities and parties.



4. Set a Spending Budget and Stick To It!: Because so much anxiety and stressed is caused by spending when you do not have the money, set a budget. Share this spending budget with the family. Let your children know that you love them daily and that you want to be responsible by not buying stuff that the family can't afford.



5. Do Fun Things: Play family games. Watch a holiday movie together. Share meals (at least one) together everyday. Read a holiday book together. Have fun!!
   

Holiday Financial Stress

How many parents do you know that are feeling uncomfortable during the holidays due to financial stress? Are you searching for the magic cure or financial medicine to alleviate your holiday blues due to all the spending? This article may provide you with some simple tips to reduce stress and spending helping you to increase your holiday spirit.

Before leaving your home and spending any money, do the following:

Write or journal in a notebook what the holiday means to you. It’s important include your beliefs, culture, traditions and philosophy. Many people who spend during the holiday become stressed because they are not sure why or what the holiday means to them in terms of spending or gifting.

Make a list of the individuals you will want to include on your gift list. Determine what you want to buy and how much you want spend.

Avoid making purchases with a credit card if you do not have the money to pay for it. Avoid the “buy now, pay later” mentality. If you cannot afford a particular item, look for something similar but less expensive or search for an alternative present. Set a limit and try to stick to it. Become happy with paying less!

Be cautious of department store promotions offering, "buy now and pay later" deals. Some stores have hidden clauses that allow interest to accrue until your first payment. Read through all paperwork before signing it, and do not be afraid to ask the store clerk questions regarding the promotion. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Be creative when gifting. Try making homemade items or give personalized gifts. Personalized gifts may include services such as babysitting.

Donations to charities may make more of a lasting impression than a store-bought gift. Use the extra money that you would have spent on friends and family to make one larger donation to one specific charity. Call local food pantries, shelters and charities to find out what they need during the busy holiday season.

Give as a group or family. Go in on a gift together.

If you're hosting a family dinner, ask others to bring a dish.

Pay attention to return policies for items you purchased.

Keep your receipts. If you need to return something later, having your receipt will speed up the process and you will have a better chance of getting your money back.

Shop alone. A tired spouse or child may encourage you to impulsively buy some items so they could get home sooner.

Avoid “high pressure” sales. Know what you're looking for before you enter a store. If you feel uncomfortable, walk away.

Search through clearance racks for sale items. Shop at discount stores for gifts for children, neighbors, and co-workers.

Don't be a last minute shopper. You may be more tempted to purchase higher priced items if you are in a hurry or don't have time to comparison shop.

After the holiday season, start saving any planiing for the next one. Put aside a little each month or look for sale items through the year that could be saved for the holiday season.

Holiday Stress

How To Handle Family Conflict and Holiday Stress

From Elizabeth Scott, M.S.,
Your Guide to Stress Management.
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About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Steven Gans, MD

The holidays present many opportunities to bond with family, but this time of year can also present significant stress, particularly when family conflict arises. Some conflict can come from having to decide which relatives to see—if any. Here are some ways to divide up your time over the holidays and handle conflicts and holiday stress that may arise.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Very Little Extra Time

Here's How:

1. Take Turns With Relatives. If you and your spouse both want to celebrate with your families of origin, if you’re dealing with a divorce situation where not everybody wants to celebrate together, or if you just have a lot of family, it can be stressful deciding who to see, and when. Taking turns is an easy solution. If you see one group in November, see the other in December, or alternate years. Then you can eventually see everybody.
2. Host Celebrations At Your House. If the stress of traveling each year is more than you’d like to handle, you may want to have family over to your home for the holidays. This is also a good solution when you have too many groups or relatives to take turns seeing: invite everyone to celebrate together, and you see everyone more often. While this won’t work in every situation, it can build bonds between groups of relatives that may not know each other very well.
3. Be Prepared For Some Conflict. If you usually have conflict when you get together with your family, it’s a good idea to be prepared for it. I’m not suggesting that you go ‘looking for trouble’, but rather approach the situation with a sense of realism. If your mother always criticizes your appearance or your brother always makes rude jokes, don’t expect them to change their habits; just have a sense of humor about it and remind yourself what you love about them. These articles on dealing with difficult people can also help.
4. Just Say No. If seeing family causes you great amounts of stress each year, it’s okay to say no sometimes. Celebrating with just your partner or kids can be a wonderful alternative to seeing people who make you feel consistently stressed.
5. Surround Yourself With Friends. Many a happy holiday has been formed by groups of people who have decided to celebrate with friends instead of family. Whether you’re unable to travel (or have family who is), or for some other reason find yourself without kin, celebrating with other people you know who are also without family for the day can be a great way to bond with friends and enjoy the spirit of the season.