The end-of-the-year holiday season such as Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s celebrations, and other cultural or religious celebrations, all come with their own form of excitement. They can bring feelings of joy and a sense of connection during these times. Holidays often symbolize a time of renewal, hope and new beginnings. It can also be a time of stress and anxiety. Research shows that people experience a significant increase in panic attacks during the holidays (Kao et al., 2014). With worries of travel stress, disruption of routine, emotional triggers and financial worry, the holidays can feel like a challenge to get through. Let’s explore this anxiety a little more closely. 

Where does this stress come from?

Expectations

During these end-of-the-year holidays, it’s common to have wants and expectations of how we hope the holidays will look like. These expectations can create feelings of anxiety and disappointment because it may be difficult to have our reality meet these expectations. Self-comparison of others like friends, family and those we see on social media can add to the feeling of inadequacy and stress. 

Financial Difficulties

End-of-the-year holidays can place a financial strain on us and create a feeling of stress. For example, the costs of vacations, spending for holiday decor and shopping for gifts, can add up quickly. We may feel inclined to spend more for gifts than we can afford and create a financial strain (McNair et al., 2024). 

Emotional Triggers

An emotional trigger is something that can cause someone to feel frightened, uncomfortable, anxious and upset because an event, person or situation triggers a negative experience or response (Riachi et al., 2022). These triggers can come up during the holidays while around family and people or places from your past. These triggers can feel like tension in your body, emotional changes, and differences in breathing patterns when around these people or places (Hanscom, 2022). 

Disruption to Your Routine 

Holiday routine disruption can increase stress because it impacts your sense of predictability and control that your typical routine provides (Cepni et al., 2025). This predictability that routines provide can promote psychological well-being, self-efficacy and a sense of control. This disruption in our routines during the holidays comes from travelling, changes in eating habits, sleep schedule disruptions, changes to school or work schedule, increased social obligations, less time for physical activity, reduced personal downtime and changes in your financial routine (Cepni et al., 2025). These chnages in routine can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Tips for the Holidays in Managing Stress and Anxiety

Creating Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals, like New Year’s resolutions, can be tricky when we truly want to achieve the goals we’re setting. When creating these goals, we need to be honest about what outcome we want, consider what we have to do to accomplish this plan, and reflect on factors that my prevent us from achieving them. Writing SMART goals which are (S) Specific, (M) Measurable, (A) Achievable, (R) Relevant and (T) Timely can help with setting expectations that are realistic (Boogaard, 2023). A key factor is considering what you have already accomplished to practice gratitude and notice your strengths. This can be helpful when managing holiday stress because it reduces self-criticism, pressure and frustration. 

Practicing Self Care 

Practicing self-care during the holidays can help reduce stress and support emotional well-being, especially when routines and expectations change.

One important aspect of self-care is maintaining key parts of your daily routine. Identifying routines that help you feel grounded can provide a sense of stability during a busy or emotionally demanding time. This may include prioritizing consistent sleep, eating regular and nourishing meals, or setting aside time to rest. Maintaining these habits can help regulate mood and energy levels, particularly if you notice they positively affect how you feel.

Another important component of self-care is being compassionate toward yourself. During the holidays, people often reflect on the past year and may experience feelings of guilt, shame, or frustration if things did not go as planned. Accepting this and acknowledging the goals you were unable to fulfil this time around can be a meaningful act of self-compassion. This acceptance can reduce self-criticism and help alleviate stress (Guan et al., 2024).

Finally, limiting social media use can also support self-care during the holidays. Exposure to others’ holiday highlights can lead to unhelpful comparison and increased feelings of inadequacy. Taking breaks from social media, even for short periods, can reduce comparison and have a positive impact on overall well-being (Burnell et al., 2025).

Setting Boundaries

Practice saying “no” to plans or responsibilities that add stress on you. Studies show that setting boundaries is important for promoting health and well-being (Bjärehed et al., 2025). This could be choosing to stay away from family plans and staying in, or it can be choosing to set limits. Boundaries during the holidays can also sound simple and direct like, “Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately I won’t be able to make it.” Boundaries can have an alternative such as, “Maybe we can do this after the holidays instead.” However you choose to say no, remember that advocating for your needs helps to reduce stress by creating space for rest and promotes emotional balance during the holiday season.  

Finding a Healthy Outlet

This outlet can be engaging in exercise, journaling, spending time with friends, practicing meditation, listening to music, doing something creative, engaging in your hobbies and reaching out to a therapist or counsellor. These outlets give you a way to express feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and promote your mental wellbeing.

Key Takeaways:

The holiday session can be a time that can be overwhelming due to expectations, obligations, travel and changes to your routine. Regardless of how you spend your holiday season it may be helpful to tune into yourself by setting boundaries, practicing self-care, setting SMART goals and finding a healthy outlet. By staying mindful of your limits and caring for yourself, you can create a holiday experience that supports your well-being. 

Seerita Sankar, BASc

References: 

Bjärehed, J., Grenner, H., Pavlovic, S., & Nilsson, M. (2025). It is harder for me: A thematic analysis of lived experience of self-care, and its relationship with self-injurious behaviors in psychiatric patients. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare, 8(s1). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2024.12544 

Boogaard, K. (2023, December 26). How to write SMART goals. Atlassian. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/how-to-write-smart-goals 

Burnell, K., Meter, D. J., Andrade, F. C., Slocum, A., & George, M. J. (2025). The Effects of Social Media Restriction: Meta-Analytic Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials. SSM – Mental Health, 7, 100459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100459 Cepni, A. B., Kirschmann, J. M., Rodriguez, A., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). When Routines Break: The Health Implications of Disrupted Daily Life. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276251381626 

Guan, F., Zhan, C., Li, S., Tong, S., & Peng, K. (2024). Effects of self-compassion on aggression and its psychological mechanism through perceived stress. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02191-w

Hanscom, D. (2022). ‘Tis the Season to Be Triggered at Family Gatherings. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/anxiety-another-name-pain/202211/tis-the-season-be-triggered-family-gatherings 

Kao, L. T., Xirasagar, S., Chung, K. H., Lin, H. C., Liu, S. P., & Chung, S. D. (2014). Weekly and holiday-related patterns of panic attacks in panic disorder: a population-based study. PloS one, 9(7), e100913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100913 

McNair, S., Nyhus, E. K., & Ranyard, R. (2024). Propensity to spend and borrow at a time of high pressure: the role of the meaning of Christmas and other psychological factors. Frontiers in Behavioral Economics, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frbhe.2024.1385609 

Riachi, E., Holma, J., & Laitila, A. (2022). Psychotherapists’ views on triggering factors for psychological disorders. Discover Psychology, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-022-00058-y

*This information is not intended to replace psychotherapeutic and/or medical advice or practices. They are for educational purposes only.