For many, the holidays are all about being with family and friends, creating those special memories.
But making that happen can also create a lot of stress.
For Mom Colleen Kelly Smith, the holidays are a magical time, but it’s also stressful.
Smith adds, “It can be so fun seeing the holidays through their eyes, and also really hard, it’s exhausting and taxing and expensive.”
As a mom to three kids under the age of seven, she finds herself trying to juggle many holiday responsibilities from preparing for Santa’s arrival to getting their house ready for out of state family members.
She adds, “There’s so much that goes into one event that it’s just unseen and unheard, but that’s what leads to burnout and stress for parents in the holiday season.”
And Smith isn’t alone. The latest data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that out of almost 800 people polled, many feel the holidays contribute to feeling sad, with 68% of people feeling financially strained and 66% feeling lonely, something Doctor Justin LaPilusa says he sees all the time around the holidays.
He adds, “We see the level of loneliness increase because we’re spending more time at home by ourselves. Elderly parents who don’t have anyone around can feel more depressed and isolated we see depression rates go up.”
He says people also tend to create a lot of stress by trying to make everything perfect. So he says it’s important to accept what you can control and what you can’t .
LaPilusa says, “we expect to make everyone happy with the gifts and make these meals .. and go to all the different places and tasks and not falter and we have a level of perfectionism over the holidays.”
He suggests keeping yourself grounded by focusing on self-care.
Adding, “Self-care is as simple as engaging in 2 to 3 minutes’ worth of breathing.”
A good reminder Smith says is needed, especially for the parents who put a lot of pressure on themselves to make this a special holiday for their kids.
Adding, “Remember a lot of those magical moments for kids aren’t a big production it’s the small things.”
