New Poll Finds 31% Of Adults Expect To Feel Stress This Holiday Season

The holidays are filled with cheer, but they also come with a lot stress. A new poll from the American Psychiatric Association shows many Americans are preparing to be stressed out this holiday season. The American Psychiatric Association finds nearly a third of adults expect to feel stress this holiday season, up from last year.

Dr. Rebecca Weintraub Brendel is President, American Psychiatric Association. “Stress can come with occasions that we really look forward to as well as things that we're dreading. Having holidays that are going to come back in full swing that people are looking forward to is also leading them to be more stressed,” she says.

Affording gifts and meals, and finding and securing gifts are top stressors, according to the poll. New York mom Jessica Lokatz knows all about it. She says, “Financially it’s a little tougher. Gifts are a lot more expensive.”

“There are some strategies Americans can use to reduce the financial burden by sharing the cost of the holidays/have gifting groups or have gifting pools or have potluck meals,” says Dr. Brendel. She adds being prepared is essential to reduce stress. “To look at, which are the things that we feel obligated to do out of our relationships and our familial commitments, and which are the things that we're really, really looking forward to the rest of them, they might be optional and we could even say, no,” she says.

COVID-19 is not as big a worry this holiday season. The poll shows adults are less concerned about spreading or contracting the virus at holiday gatherings.

Holiday shopper Rachel Garcia is embracing the season. “That actually we get to get out and be around people and enjoy all the shopping and everything,” she says.

And while the poll shows many Americans are looking forward to seeing loved ones this year, Dr. Brendel says it’s important to stay home if you’re sick so you don’t make the holidays more stressful for someone else.

The poll also shows parents are more likely to say they anticipate experiencing more stress this holiday season.