Holiday bustle can cause stress: a psychologist gives tips on how to avoid it
Kyiv • UNN
The expert explained the causes of holiday stress and shared 5 tips for maintaining inner harmony. The psychologist advises not to chase perfection and create your own holiday scenario.
Holidays can bring not only joy but also stress. To understand why this happens and how to avoid it, UNN turned to Olena Hnatko, a CBT counselor and psychologist at the Dali Center. She explained how to reduce stress and advised simple methods to maintain inner harmony during the holidays.
When we were children, the New Year holidays seemed like a real fairy tale. Gifts, festive feasts, winter fun with family and friends created a unique atmosphere. We did not even realize that this "magical" world was created by the adults around us. Now we have become the magicians who organize holidays for ourselves, our children and our loved ones. However, in today's world, holidays look completely different. We face the pressure of social media, where influencers demonstrate "successful success," with perfectly decorated homes, the best gifts, and exciting entertainment. This is compounded by the marketing influence of retailers who sell not only goods but also the illusion of a perfect New Year's mood "all-inclusive.
Advent calendars, endless to-do lists, and the need to "get everything done" create a kind of marathon that often looks like a collective neurosis and takes more energy than it brings joy.
In the pursuit of completing all the tasks and creating a "dream holiday", we often face the syndrome of missed opportunities (FOMO: Fear of Missing Out). It's the fear of missing out on something important when it seems that everyone around us has more time to do and their holidays look perfect. In this state, we tend to spend more money, time, and effort than necessary, and instead of a New Year's mood, we get stress and exhaustion.
Holidays are not about perfection. It's an opportunity to reboot, escape from the routine, spend time with family and friends, be a magician for your loved ones or for yourself. The main thing is not to chase the standards imposed by society, but to create your own holiday scenario, focusing on what brings you joy.
How to reduce stress from the holiday rush?
1. Try to plan the things you want to accomplish during the holidays in advance and divide them into small tasks for easy implementation. It is worth evaluating their reality and relevance to you to avoid additional disappointment in case of failure.
2. Carefully allocate your budget so that you don't feel short of funds after the New Year. Very often, it is during the New Year holidays that we are prone to impulsive purchases.
3. 3. Do not forget about yourself. Taking care of your own needs will allow you to celebrate the holidays in a good mood and well-being, and New Year's Eve preparations should be fun, not stressful or exhausting. Don't be afraid to say no to events that are not important to you and may create additional stress.
4. Involve your loved ones in the joint organization. This will allow you to feel mutual support, involvement and involvement in creating a festive mood.
5. Take care of yourself. A short walk, a warm bath, and timely rest will help you restore your energy. But if you find it difficult to cope with emotions or your stress level rises, do not neglect the help of a psychologist.
Remember: the magic of the holidays is not in perfection, but in warm emotions and time spent with loved ones.
