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The holiday season is always a time of great excitement, thankfulness, and (hopefully) relaxation, but there are also a variety of reasons why the most wonderful time of the year may leave some feeling stressed out.

During the holidays, it’s important to monitor your stress levels and ensure that you’re having an enjoyable and restful time with your friends and family – not leaving yourself feeling frazzled! One in four (1:4) people report being stressed about the Christmas holidays and one in six (1:6) report this time of year as stressful as divorce, moving house and changing jobs.

To prepare yourself for the holidays, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the top 6 holiday stressors.

The top 6 holiday stressors

1 - Entertaining guests

2 - Living up to the hype

3 – Spending money

4 – Dealing with unpleasant family members

5 – Mental Health

6 – Physical Health

Holiday Stressor 1: Entertaining guests

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It’s often easier said than done. Setting and maintaining boundaries can be hard when others are accustomed to you not having any. Whether we like to admit it or not, people take advantage of other people.

In my practice I have seen an increase in professionals seeking assistance for languishing and falling out of love with their work because they feel they have nothing left to give. Getting through the day without added tasks is a challenge for some. For others, it has already impacted significant relationships.  

Even “nice” people can be quite exploitative if it’s the easiest and most convenient path to take. It’s human nature.

In project management terms it’s called ‘scope creep’ and it plays right into our need to belong and be of service. Depending on your experience it could also be playing into your need for financial security.

When others take advantage of our kindness, it leads to resentment...