Holiday Stress

The holidays are fast approaching and for many folks, tension is building.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day to remember and give thanks.  The problem is, a lot of expectations and pressure gets served along with the turkey and dressing.

Thank about this scenario - you work all week, and then when you get "days off" for the holiday, you spend those days packing, driving, flying,and trying to hurry up and enjoy the day and the long weekend.  

Or perhaps you aren't traveling, maybe people are coming to visit you.  That means that sometime between now and next Wednesday night, you are going to brave the visit to the grocery store.  Even though I try to shop in "off times" I always manage to hit the mob of people doing their holiday shopping - its really an event even if you aren't buying food for a crowd.

You might find yourself cleaning house, getting out special dishes, polishing silver, trying new recipes, and trying to anticipate what people will want and need to enjoy themselves.

Once the family is gathered, there are joyful reunions, or stressful reunions, or dysfunctional family events.  It can be difficult to spend long periods of time with people you only see once or twice a year.  It can be wonderful, but for many, it can also be painful.

As I write this post, and think about the holidays, I noticed that my heart rate is up, and I am taking shallow breaths - and that is only thinking about Thanksgiving

Check back for more holiday stress reflection and some tips to help make your holiday more peace-filled.

Cynthia

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Cynthia McKenna Counseling

CounselingBlog

Comments

[therapy]

Thanksgiving does not typically give me the holiday stresses and worries that Christmas generally does. I love to do the cooking and be with my family on that day- but then the Christmas shopping season is upon me and I get stressed worried about money and how I am ever going to be able to afford everything that I have to buy! This year my husband and I are making a very conscious effort to scale back but it is still hard. Both he, his parents and our daughter all have December and early January birthdays and that typically just compounds the problems. Oh well- I always have to just tell myself that come January 5 it will all be over and I can start saving again for next year! Have a wonderful holiday and let us all try to enjoy it for what it is rather than worrying so much about the materialism that tends to go along with it all!