MORE FROM HUFFPOST
MORE FROM HUFFPOST
holiday-anxiety
The holidays are an exciting time of good cheer, warm family traditions, and spending time with friends. But it can also be very stressful and lead to anxiety and depression, especially in children and new moms.
Lending a hand and lending an ear, not just throwing gifts at people, is what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. I'd rather have an hour with a good friend than a brand-new sports car. Anyone with a wide-open anxiety closet will feel the same way.
Once you've made the decision of how you're going to handle the holidays, with either all the delight or burden it can bring, go about systematically making decisions that are in line with that result.
There are many reasons why we suffer from holiday stress, but one of the reasons is we unknowingly put undue pressure on ourselves with unrealistic expectations that generally revolve around family, friends, time management and spending.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WHAT'S HAPPENING
On Christmas day I was unexpectedly stricken with melancholy. I've experienced some of these feelings over the years but never to an extreme; this time, I got hit hard.
The very things that make holidays exciting (and challenging) for adults can wreak havoc on the world of a child, particularly for an anxious child.
With shopping, social gatherings, and end-of-year obligations, however, we humans go against nature -- increasing our activity and stress levels at exactly the time that the body wants us to be decreasing them.
For some children, the holidays can be stressful and confusing. Family plans and celebrations may be complicated by divorce, separation or remarriage. Here's how parents can do to help children cope with holiday stress.
Many people suffer what I coin FGA -- Family Gathering Anxiety. Basically, this refers to those who experience strong feelings of anxiety before and often during a family gathering.
