By Dr. Kathie Mathis, Psy.D, CEO California Cognitive Behavioral Institute

Welcome to the holiday season — that whirlwind of gift-giving holidays, marketing blitzes, holiday parties and activities galore that begins right after Halloween, builds to Thanksgiving, and continues gaining momentum through the end of the year.

While this season is meant to bring feelings of love and cheer, it’s also the time of holiday stress for many. In fact, according to some research, more than 80% of us find the holiday season to be ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ stressful — that ranks navigating the holidays right up there with other stressor’s like asking for a raise.

What Causes Holiday Stress?

  1. Doing Too Much All things in moderation, but the problem with the holiday season is that we often experience too much of a good thing. While stress itself is necessary for our survival and zest for life, too much stress has both mental and physical.
  2. Eating, Drinking and Spending Too Much An overabundance of parties and gift-giving occasions lead many people to eat, drink, and be merry — often to excess. The temptation to overindulge in spending, rich desserts or alcohol can cause many people the lasting stress of dealing with results that can linger long after the season is over and carrying debt and the stress that comes with it for months.
  3. Too Much Togetherness The holidays are a time when extended families tend to gather. While this can be a wonderful thing, even the most close-knit families can overdose on togetherness, making it hard for family members to maintain a healthy balance between bonding and alone time. Many families have “roles” that people fall into and avoiding those “roles” is difficult when families are together. Staying 3 to 5 days with each other is the ideal length of time for families to get along. After 5 days the “togetherness” begins to wear thin. Love them enough to leave and leave them still wanting you to come again.
  4. Not Enough Togetherness For those who don’t have these family issues, lonelinesscan be just as much of a problem. As the world seems to be gathering with family, those who rely more on friends for support can feel deserted and alone.
  5. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) An often unrecognized problem that comes with the holiday season is actually a by-product of the seasons changing from fall to winter. As daylight diminishes and the weather causes many of us to spend more time indoors, many people are affected to some degree by a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder. This is a very real condition that can cast a pall over the whole season and be a source of stress and unhappiness during a time that people expect to feel just the opposite

Minimizing The Holiday Stress:. Unlike many other types of negative stress we encounter in life, we know when holiday stress will begin and end, and we can make plans to reduce the amount of stress we experience and the negative impact it has on us.

Set Your Priorities: Before you get overwhelmed by too many activities, it’s important to decide what traditions offer the most positive impact and eliminate superfluous activities. For example, if you usually become overwhelmed by a flurry of baking, shopping, sending cards, visiting relatives and other activities that leave you exhausted by January, you may want to pick a few favorite activities and really enjoy them. The holidays don’t have to be stressful if you remember that less is better when it comes to activities and spending money.