Why are the holidays such a stressful time of year? I
thought that they were supposed to be the most cheerful days of the year, but
instead of dancing around the kitchen baking and singing along to Christmas
music, most of us are feeling frantic and stressed about the upcoming holidays.
Why is this? I believe that it is because people take on too much and worry
about the little things, things that aren't necessary for a great holiday
season.
Every year since I was young, I have watched my mom slowly
taking on more and more each holiday season. She takes on gifts for our family
Christmas as well as Christmas on both my mom's and dad's side of the family.
She has to rush around getting last minute gifts and making baked goods for
holiday gatherings and of course, for our family to snack on ourselves. Not
only is she handling family Christmases but she is also taking on teacher gifts
and her usual household responsibilities. She becomes so stressed out that she
forgets about the true meaning of the holidays. It's about family and being
together, not about anything else.
Often people get caught up in their gift giving, which is
not always a bad thing, but it isn't supposed to be something that causes
stress. It should be fun to pick out gifts for your friends for the holidays,
not something for you to stress about. Your friends and family will love
anything that you get them; it's the thought that counts.
The point is that the holidays aren't a time for stressing.
It is harmful to your body and you get much lower quality of sleep. In turn,
your immune system weakens and you have a higher risk for getting sick, which
is never fun, especially around the holiday season. So worry less about the
gift giving and baking and just sit back and enjoy the holiday and your family.
After all, that is what this season is all about.
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