Spreading Holiday Cheer to Manage Holiday Stress
Holiday stress can be really common. Research showed that last year 41% of people reported increased anxiety during the holiday season. Among many ways to enjoy the holidays, spreading holiday cheer can probably change someone’s entire day around and help them to de-stress.
The Reality of the Holiday Stress
Many people do not have the holiday experience that resembles the celebrations you see in holiday Hallmark movies. In those movies, the characters are shown getting lots of presents, going on extravagant vacations, having fancy dinners, and really enjoying the holiday season. Unfortunately, many people cannot live this glamorous or romanticized life. Here are some reasons why the holidays might be sad or stressful for some:
1. Lack of Social Support System
The holidays can be challenging for many; in these times, a social support system is there to help. A social support system is essential for all people to have. Social support helps you navigate the highs and lows of your life. When you are going through struggles, your social support system is there to help you through it all.
Studies show that social support can help people improve symptoms of depression. Social support is a very important part of the overall wellness of LGBTQIA+ people. This support helps protect people from social stress and rejection. In one study, LBQ women with social support reported higher levels of self-esteem and resilience. These things promote body appreciation which can help protect LBQ women from developing eating disorders.
Alternatively, people without social support may feel lonely while experiencing life’s obstacles. Imagine you are having a hard time and have no one to share your concerns or worries with. When the holidays come around, and someone has no one to celebrate with, it can make them feel horrible.
2. Money Issues
Many people are struggling financially in our country. If someone struggles financially, their worries might only be exacerbated during the holiday season. The pressure to spend a lot of money is pushed on us constantly; many people feel like the holidays are associated with spending money. Every commercial or ad prompts you and your family to spend money on gifts, experiences, dinner, and more.
A struggling parent may feel pressured to provide a good holiday season for their kids. Unfortunately, if they don’t have the means to do so, they may worry that their child is missing out and not having the holiday experience that other kids get.
3. Family Pressure
Some people don’t like spending the holidays with their family because of the pressure put on them. If you read our holiday stress article, you will see that many families pressure their kids to grow up, find the “perfect” job/spouse, and start a “perfect” family. As we all know, life usually doesn’t turn out the way you plan it, and your path in life unravels at its own speed.
When the person sees their family during the holidays and isn’t meeting the standards placed on them, they might face judgment or rejection from their family. Often, siblings or cousins are pitted against each other and compared to one another. The person’s desires or wants are disregarded and expected to fit the mold their family or society crafted for them.
4. Mental Health Struggles
Many people face seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other mental health concerns during the colder months. SAD is a type of depression caused by seasonal changes, and people with SAD start feeling symptoms of depression at this time.
Some symptoms of depression include being unmotivated, having low energy, and losing pleasure in activities or interests you once enjoyed.
Depression symptoms
- Feeling sad, lonely, helpless, hopeless
- Having an underlying feeling of emptiness
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Experiencing a reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
- Having agitation and irritability
- Finding it difficult to concentrate, remember, or make decisions
- Having thoughts of suicide or about dying
People may also struggle with stress and anxiety during the holiday season. Anxiety is a mental, emotional, and physical condition. People with anxiety deal with constant worrying thoughts while feeling anxiety’s physical effects through shortness of breath or chest pain. People with anxiety can experience constant nervousness, overthinking, and fears that something terrible will happen to them or impending doom.
Spreading Holiday Cheer Helps to De-Stress
Kindness is important because everyone deserves to be treated with care and respect. As mentioned before, things like social support systems are crucial for people to have. Feeling like you are not alone in this world can make a massive difference in someone’s life. Being kind to someone, especially if they are going through a rough time, can really change the trajectory of their day.
The Mental Health Foundation shares that being kind helps others and ourselves; they state that being kind can help “reduce stress as well as improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness.” It seems like there is no downfall to being thoughtful and spreading holiday cheer this season!
As a society, we should be taking care of one another. We are all, as Maya Angelou once said, “more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Everyone is unique, but we still share the same needs and desires. We all strive for love, acceptance, and happiness! Being kind can help people feel seen and validated in this mission and supported through any struggles they face this winter. Here are some tips to spread holiday cheer this season!
1. Donate, Volunteer, and Visit
“Donating: can take on a lot of different meanings. Many people often think of donating food, clothes, or material objects; doing all these things is a great way to help people. If you have the means to, donating food or material goods could really help families are people in need. But donating doesn’t have to be just referring to a material object.
You can donate your time to help others and spread some cheer during the holiday season. You can volunteer at local food banks, pick up trash or litter you come across, offer to help someone carry their groceries, write a letter telling someone how much you appreciate them, etc.
Visiting someone during the holidays can bring them a lot of joy. Take some time to visit relatives you may not have seen in a while or a friend who is feeling lonely this season. Your presence can be a “present” to someone (and vice versa)!
2. Check In on Others
As mentioned before, many people might be struggling during the holiday season. They may have seasonal affective disorder or anxiety during this time, so checking on people, even friends who seem smiling and happy, is essential. Some people may seem like they have it all together when they really don’t.
You never truly know what someone is going through, so trying to spread holiday cheer might help them through a hard time you didn’t even know they were experiencing. People Pleasers struggle to care for themselves because they are so busy making others happy and fulfilling their needs. Perfectionists may be drowning internally but appear to be high-achieving and hard-working on the outside.
Checking in through a simple “how are you?” text or a face time call can make someone feel like they are not alone and have support.
3. Join a New Group
If you are struggling to find social support during the holiday season, consider joining a group. For example, a book club or knitting group can help you find people with a common interest and meet new friends. You can spread joy to one another by sharing your ideas and love a certain topic together; there’s nothing like bonding with people over your favorite hobbies or interests.
4. Baking to Spread Holiday Cheer
Have you ever heard the expression “food is love?” Baking and creating food is a way to show love for many different people. Coming together and making food is a way for people to bond and spread joy. You could bake food and share it happily with your family or even donate it to a friendly neighbor or local organization.
Studies show that people struggling with depression or anxiety can benefit from baking. This means that you can bake and share food with others during the holiday season while helping your own mental health at the same time.
5. Decorating and Being Festive
You can decorate for the holidays if you want to spread joy in your house and feel like celebrating. You can decorate for any holiday you celebrate or make your home feel cozier for the winter. You can also offer to help decorate other people’s houses who may not have the time, energy, or ability to do so.
6. Use Your Words for Good
Even just complimenting someone you pass on the street can make their day. Writing someone a meaningful and heartfelt card can mean so much more than a gift or material object. Share a post online that spreads positivity or encouragement to your followers or friends.
Use your words to spread holiday cheer to others; they have the power to bring more kindness, empathy, and understanding into the world!
7. Spread Holiday Cheer to Yourself Too
Don’t forget to spread joy and kindness to yourself during the holidays! Take care of yourself by:
- Doing things that make you happy (hobbies, activities, etc.)
- Practice mindfulness to alleviate any stress you may be feeling at this time
- Write a self-compassion letter to yourself or make a gratitude list
- Spend time with people who bring you joy
- Do fun holiday activities like ice-skating or drinking hot chocolate
- If you can, buy something nice for yourself as a present
- Try therapy – Remember that The Mind Connections team is here to support you wth anything you might be going through!