The holiday season is upon us! Many people are finding it hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in a few days and that 2023 will soon be coming to a close. A lot of people have spent this year travelling and resuming more of a pre-covid lifestyle. Although a common phrase is that this is the most wondeful time of the year, a lot of individuals and couples struggle now. This could be due to reigniting stress related to immediate or extended family, stress around money or managing a packed calendar of events. Here are these 3 stressors described in a little more detail and some ways that you and your partner can try to problem solve and make the holiday season proceed as smoothly as possible.
1. Familial relationships
One of the most significant challenges couples encounter during the holidays is navigating the complexities of family issues. Conflict amongst siblings, and stress related to parents is common for middle aged adults. Additionally, a couple may struggle with where to spend the holidays if both people in the couple feels obligated to attend their immediate family gathering. Finally, issues with inlaws can be exasperated during long holiday get together. Strong communication and compromise are essential to navigating these stress inducing situations, hoping for a solution that is at least acceptable even if not ideal to everyone involved\.
2. Stress around finances
It is undeniable that for many people there is stress with finances around the holidays. In large families there can be pressure to give expensive gifts in order to keep up with others or follow longstanding financial traditions. This can become problematic if one member of the family is struggling financially compared to others. Coming up with an agreement with your partner in conjunction with a larger budget is key to making this all work. Also, if you are struggling financially doing activities to spend quality time with loved ones that are free can be very meaningful, such as having conversations, looking at photo activities or playing board games.
3. Balancing scheduled events
Managing a schedule around the holidays can certainly be stressful. If you are a couple with two children the amount of events between Thanksgiving and New Years can be a lot to handle. For example, thanksgiving dinner, Christmas eve, Christmas day, new years eve, new years day, two company parties and school events for your children. All of this socialization can leave introverted people feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. It is important to realize that you can say “no” to certain events. At the beginning of the holiday season it is important to talk to your partner about which events are more important and meangful compared to others. Hopefully, you can resolve together to make yoru schedule work and not feel overwhelmed. Self care is always important so remember to make time for yourself and not feel too pressured into disingenuously projecting joy if things are hard.
The holiday season is here. Along with colder weather and less daylight there may be a lot of stress you are feeling this time of year. Three common stressors are familial relationships, stress around financies and balancing scheduled events. These three stressors are a lot to handle if you are single but can become more complex and intertwined when you are a couple. Compromise, open and strong communication and prioritizing needs are essential during this time. If you are struggling this holiday season with stress associated with the holidays or anything else marriage counseling can help. Contact me today for a free consultation.