’Tis the season to be crazy

The holiday season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but sadly it can turn out to be quite the reverse. For many this is unavoidable. Some have lost loved ones at this time of year and will always associate the celebrations with that loss. Others have deep frictions with their extended families and can’t bear the pressure of being around them. But as Christmas time has become more and more commercialized there’s another reason we’re more stressed around the holidays: financial pressure. And that’s something we can do something about.

G. M. Johnson, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience, believes that Christmas gift-giving pressure is potentially damaging to mental health. The syndrome may not yet have made its way into the DSM, but if Johnson knows what he’s talking about, it sounds like it’s on its way:

“Christmas time is supposed to be a time for festivities and warm feelings in celebration of the birth of Jesus,” says Dr. Johnson. “But for many individuals, Christmas is a time of extreme stress related to expectations that leads to spending beyond their means. These individuals experience irritability, sleep difficulties, headaches, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and depression, poor self-esteem, distractibility, stress dreams and nightmares, eating problems, substance abuse and/or forgetfulness.”

The doctor proposes a radical solution to this problem: simply announce to friends and family that you are not participating in the exchange of gifts this year.

We would not necessarily recommend a solution this drastic: among other things, the anxiety associated with making such a draconian announcement to one’s close family and friends might not be any less severe than that caused by staying on the spending treadmill. And though gift-giving may be materialistic, it is also a ritual symbolizing the spirit of generosity and good will that is an important part of the season.

Nevertheless, Johnson has a point. The glorification of consumerism has so invaded the spirit of Christmas that some of us are literally making our selves sick with it.

So while Johnson’s recommendation may be a bit extreme, it might be a good idea for those feeling stressed to pull back on holiday splurging. Try making gifts instead of buying them. Don’t seek out the expensive status gifts that the media has decreed to be the must-haves of the season. Shop locally rather than at the big national franchise stores, knowing that more of those dollars will be recycled to your neighbors in the local community rather than to big-box stores whose profits are siphoned out to corporate headquarters. And remember that, especially at Christmas time, it really is the thought that counts.

Finally, as Johnson notes: “There are alternatives to gift-giving that can still keep a person involved in the Christmas spirit. Volunteering some hours, for example, at a shelter, would be very much in keeping with Christmas.” And a lot less stressful than wrestling fellow shoppers to the ground for the last Xbox 360.

Dr. Punnybone

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