Holiday Stress

There’s a lot going on right now — it's the holiday season after all. Between the financial pressures, shopping, hosting, gatherings, and deadlines, this time is no joke. It’s stressful. Some of us scramble on the outside, others on the inside. Or both. Getting things just right; hyping yourself up; rallying. No matter what you celebrate or how you celebrate it, there’s the common thread of stress to some degree. Co-existing with stress, though, is joy—this season does bring an extra helping of it.

We treat happiness and stress like two very distinct, different concepts. During the holiday season they are known to go hand-in-hand. But I say they’re not so unrelated—they’re interwoven when considering what we’re stressed about and why. The stress comes from us wanting meaning. It’s meaningful stress—every bit from the parking lot traffic to forced family conversations. The holiday season’s “ought to’s” stem from a set of choices you make based on your value system. Even with any kind of pressure, you still have choices. These choice represent your current value system or the value system you want to have. Our value system is how we ascribe meaning to things— to people, events, experiences…holidays. And consequently happiness is an outcome. Thus the stress meeting you is inspired by meaningful intention. As people we’re meaning-makers. Because of our design, we seek out meaning. And if we can’t find it, we create it. Meaning is defined by what we deem around us as serious, useful, important or purposeful. What a wonder it is we’re made for meaning. That meaning is inevitable for us. How restful this is.

So while I don’t want you to be bombarded with stress, the perspective of stress and meaning are connected perhaps makes you softer towards it. The stress is there as a reminder you care; you’re being intentional; you're working on happiness. The stress signals you’re making meaning.

Xo.