Now, the time has come, when everywhere, we get to see celebrations. Yes, the season of festivals has come.
As we know, festivals are an expressive way to celebrate specific moments with our family or loved ones. But, what happens when this enjoyment leads to a feeling of discomfort?
The reason for feeling discomfort during celebration time is called “FESTIVE ANXIETY.”
According to American Psychological Association, stress around festivals or holidays is disproportionately felt by women. Women are more likely to feel that stress increases around the holidays as compared to men. The reason is the excessive workload in terms of family responsibilities.
Festive anxiety is a kind of stress that comes during the festive holiday season. Financial anxiety issues and family conflicts may cause it. According to Dr. Chibbar (a psychologist), during festival anxiety, a person feels very low.
Festival anxiety is a disorder or disorganized personality of human beings that appear mostly during festival holidays. It leads to headaches, irritated mood, and fatigue as in initially.
The problem is caused by having to plan meetings and trying to make perfect. The festive period brings a lot of pressure due to social pressure in terms of financial expenses as well.
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Symptoms of Festive Anxiety
Generally, physical as well as psychological symptoms appear during that anxiety. These are:
1. Physical symptoms:
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Insomnia and irregular sleeping patterns
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Increased heart rate
- Muscles tension
- Dizziness
- Shaking and feeling sick
- Breathing difficulty
2. Psychological symptoms:
- Lack of motivation
- Social isolation
- Anxiety attacks
- Mood disorders
- Poor self-care and hygiene
- Feeling helpless
The study of North Americans said that 45% of respondents dread the festive season. Increasing social engagement over festivals is the main cause of trepidation and dread.
If the individual feels festival anxiety, then the thought of facing gatherings can seem overwhelming. The festive season brings many pressures in terms of finance and socialization.
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Effects of Festival Anxiety
The anxiety depends from person to person. Some have been affected more and some have taken it lightly. It affects the whole body of an individual and disorganizes the whole personality, such as-
- Eating disorders: Loss of appetite as well as uncontrolled diet.
- Increased alcohol as well as tobacco intake: Alcohol intake becomes more during the festive season. The cause of addiction is to reduce stress according to individual thinking. But, in reality, it affects our whole body system badly.
- Heart problems: Heart disease leads to excessive stress.
- Lack of confidence: Continuous mood changes cause low confidence. Besides that, loneliness lowers the confidence level too.
- Social isolation: Due to loneliness and fear of attending gatherings, isolated the individual. He/she social circle reduces and results in social isolation.
- Poor self-control: Continuous pressure on personality values leads to loss of self-control.
Causes of Festive Anxiety
- Unrealistic expectations: In this era, everyone is trying to beat him as compared to others. To maintain status, the individual is clutching to high expectations.
- Financial pressures: The competition to make the best living standard and expenses increase. As a result, the pressure has fallen on the pocket.
- Excessive commitments: Excessive commitments to yourself and your family results in stress. The target to finish all pending work during festive holidays causes mental illness, especially in women.
- Family conflicts: Despite being a time of togetherness, festivals are often a time of great loneliness, which leads to depression and anxiety. The relationship difficulties and thought struggles of family members result in conflicts.
- Lack of multi-tasking behavior: Festivals tend to have different activities to attend. Accepting invitations to activities makes me feel discomfort.
How to Cope with Festive Anxiety
Coping with the demand of festivities requires time, effort, and patience. If we ignore the need, then it makes stress. So, we follow mentioned guidelines for de-stress. These are:
- Say no to anxiety-provoking activities
- Well-planned schedule making before starting the festival season
- Stick to the budget, means deciding the amount that will spend during the season
- Avoid alcohols and drugs intake during the season
- Lower your expectations and ambitions from the season as well as yourself, because the expectation to celebrate in a specific way can trigger unpleasant emotions from the past.
- Share your issues with friends and family members
- Tolerate discomfort
- Plan and pace yourself
- Identify your support system
Case, if we don’t identify the problem or ignore it, then, it may get overwhelmed and terrify the suffering ones. So, when mentioned symptoms you have found in it, then may contact with psychological professional. Otherwise, it may completely destroy the blissful lives of individuals.
Note
This Article is Written by Karuna Bartendra from Punjhari.com