What Is Festive Anxiety?

By Karuna Bhartendra

Health & Wellness

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

Festivals are the time when we celebrate and rejoice special moments with our loved ones. But, what happen! When instead of celebrations, these festivals have made a reason of anxiety.

Yes, festive anxiety, that leads to discomfort during celebration. Now, the time of festivals has come, and the people have seen who are suffered from this. It may be possible some have around you too.

Now –a- days, due to changing lifestyle of human being, instead of creating happiness these festival leads to apprehensions, comparisons and not enough good feeling.

According to American Psychological Association, stress around the festivals or holidays are disproportionately felt by women. Women are more likely to feel that stress increases around the holidays as compare to men. The reason is excessive work load in terms of family responsibilities.

The festive anxiety is a kind of stress that comes during festival holiday’s season. The financial anxiety issues, family conflicts may cause it. According to Dr. Chibbar (Psychologist), during festival anxiety person feels very low.

The festivals could also be difficult especially for grievers and this time could be reminders of the loved ones they lost. In actual, this is time to remind you, as well as change yourself.

Festival anxiety is a disorder or disorganized personality of human being, which appeared mostly during festival holidays. It leads to headaches, irritated mood, fatigue as in initially.

The problem is caused by having to plan meetings and being try to make perfect. The festive period brings lot of pressures due to social pressure in terms of financial expense as well.

Winter Blues

According to Psychologists, introverted people can feel immense amount of stress during festive season. The winter blue phenomenon is very common, in which individual feels very low and depressed. During this time, stress, anxiety, depression is not ‘uncommon’ or ‘uncalled for.’

How to identify

The features or symptoms of festive anxiety are essential to identify. Generally, these are categorized into physical as well as mental. These are:

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

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 are the main cause trepidation and dread.

If the individual feels festival anxiety, then the thought of facing gatherings can seem overwhelmed. The festive season brings many pressures in terms of finance and socialization. Sometimes, they may cause family conflicts as well.

Consequences

The anxiety is depend upon person to person. Some have affected more and some have taken lightly.

Some might not be uncomfortable meeting with all at once. Despite of that, some might feel overwhelmed, and some have burden to be participative and joyful all the time.

In general, the anxiety effects the whole body of individual and disorganized 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 in festive season. The cause of addiction is to reduce stress according to individual thinking. But, in real, 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 of that, loneliness lowers the confidence level too.

Social isolation: Due to loneliness and fear to attend gatherings, isolated the individual. He/she social circle reduces, and results social isolation.

Poor self control: Continuous pressure on personality values leads to loss self control.

Reasons of causing problem:

• Unrealistic expectations: The changing life style and competition among individuals make individual unrealistic. As a result, they develop an instinct of unrealistic expectations without thinking of what he/she is. To maintain status, individual is clutching into high expectations.

• Financial pressures: The competition to make best living standard, expenses become more. Without thinking of financial status, individual has fallen a pressure on his pocket.

• Excessive commitments: Excessive commitments and high expectations with yourself and your family results stress. The target to finish all pending work in 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 struggle in family members’ results conflicts.

• Lack of multi-tasking behavior: Festivals tend to have different activities to attend. Accepting invitation activities make feel discomfort. He / she try to make him jack of all traits in this season. And, the consequence of this- ‘Ultimate Stress.’

How to deal

Coping with the demand of festivities require time, effort and patience. If we ignore the need, then it makes stressful. So, we follow mentioned guidelines for de-stress. These are:

• Say no to anxiety provoking activities

• Well- planned schedule making before starting festival season

• Stick to the budget, means to decide the amount that will spend during season

• Avoid alcohols and drugs intake during season

• Lower your expectations and ambitions from the season as well as yourself, because expectation to celebrating in a specific way can trigger unpleasant emotions from the past.

• Tolerate discomfort

• Plan and pace yourself

• Identify your support system

• Talk or discuss with your friends or loved ones.

• Don’t have to force yourself to behave a certain way because you think the people around you want you to or except it of you.

To get rid of anxiety, yoga practicing and meditation is very significant as well, besides of above mentioned solutions.

If we don’t identify the problem or ignore it, then, it may get overwhelmed and terrifying the suffered ones. So, when mentioned symptoms you have find in yourself or around you in others, then may contact with psychological professional. Otherwise, it may completely destroy blissful lives of individual.

Karuna Bhartendera is gold medalist in the field of Clinical psychology writes for new trends in Mental Health and Behavioral sciences