Americans are more anxious about the holidays this year, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Poll.
41% of U.S. adults say they expect to experience more holiday-related stress this year than last year, compared to 28% in 2024 and 29% in 2023. They cite a number of reasons, including missing someone in their life, dealing with the cost of holiday gifts, navigating difficult family relationships, and being lonely.
If you’re feeling stressed during this time, there are strategies you can try to make your vacation more pleasant. Sabrina Romanoff, a New York-based psychologist and relationship expert at dating app Hily recommends:
“Try muting the social media accounts that are making you feel really bad.”
Americans spend a lot of time on social media. According to Pew Research Center, 37% of U.S. adults visit Facebook several times a day.
Because we spend so much time observing other people’s lives, it’s easy to compare how our holidays are to theirs.
To make this season more pleasant, “you may need to mute accounts on social media that make you feel really bad and not good enough,” Romanoff says. You can block them or unfollow them completely.
In December, like any time of the year, “it’s really important to be intentional about what you’re looking at and what you’re consuming because it changes the lens through which you view your life,” she says.
Choose to participate in a way that “makes your life easier”
If you’re concerned about the people you’ll be spending time with during this season, you can also adjust your experience accordingly.
That may mean that “when Aunt Karen asks intrusive questions, you’re not trying to make yourself uncomfortable in order to make her feel comfortable,” Romanoff says. “I’ll keep you quiet.” It might also mean taking a break during gatherings that seem overwhelming and going to another room for a few minutes.
It may also mean deciding to skip certain celebrations altogether and instead have a gathering with your chosen family.
After all, making this time of year happier and less stressful means “actually acting in ways that make your life easier,” she says.
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