The holiday season is over, but the stress certainly isn’t yet. The holidays can cause people to feel high levels of stress, sadness and exhaustion. While most people are excited and relaxed, why isn’t everyone else? The answer is holiday burnout. People think about burnout in regards to work, but don’t realize that burnout can exist in all aspects of their lives, including holidays.
But what is burnout? Burnout is a “state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” says helpguide.org. It’s easy to see why people can experience this condition during the festive season. Holidays are overwhelming and cause a lot of different emotions to well up. Some of those emotions are positive, and others are negative.
“38% of people recently surveyed said the holiday season increases their stress level – and for individuals with existing mental health concerns, 64% said their conditions worsened around the holidays,” MIbluedaily.com. Stress can be a dangerous condition that left unchecked can cause severe health problems if not treated. Stress isn’t always negative, but in large doses for an extended period of time, stress can become deadly.
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to holidays. There’s family coming from out of town, the struggle to find a perfect present, and decorations that need to be hung just so. The biggest cause of holiday burnout and stress is financial stress. “58% of U.S. adults say that spending too much or not having enough money to spend causes them stress,” says the American Psychological Association.
“Finding the right gifts,” the American Psychological Association said, causes stress to “40%,” of Americans. Gifts are a challenge that many don’t think about until the time to buy them comes around. Society has taught people that anything less than perfection is a failure. This mindset affects everything from jobs, hobbies to gifts. People are constantly comparing the gift they received or bought to other people’s presents. This judgmental, perfection-driven society is only hurting people since it increases the stress of the holidays.
Everybody has stress – it’s a part of life. But what people don’t consider is that stress can easily become deadly. “Stress that’s not dealt with can lead to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes,” says the MAYO Clinic.
With all the stress surrounding holidays, it’s easy to fall into the pattern of just accepting it alongside holidays. However, people need to realize that the holidays don’t always have to be a stressful time. “Remember that you don’t have to do it all. Figure out what you really enjoy versus what you feel you’re supposed to do,” says UC Davis Health. If it’s financial worries that stress you out during the holidays, try making homemade gifts this season, or give the gift of time, like a road trip or shopping trip with the person you love.
No matter what, the greatest gift during the holiday season is being happy and healthy. If your current plans don’t allow for that, it’s time to make new ones.