"To heck with it. I'm done. Bah humbug. Well not quite...but I am rethinking the holiday mania and realizing that rather than beating myself up for not living up to Hallmark expectations of what the holidays should look like, maybe I need to rethink what is reasonable. After all, a big part of psychological resilience depends on whether we experience our lives as being under our individual control."
"When it comes to making the holidays merry and bright, it feels like we have lost touch with the fact that expectations are social constructions. They are mostly in our minds, reinforced by what we see and hear from others. Recent advances to Leon Festinger's theory of social comparison from the 1950s is reminding us that we tend to seek ways to feel better about ourselves by comparing ourselves to those whom we aspire to match in status"
Holiday expectations are largely social constructions that create pressure through upward and downward comparisons. Seeking status or validation via festive displays increases spending and emotional strain. Psychological resilience depends on experiencing life as controllable, which excessive holiday standards can undermine. Rethinking what is reasonable and adopting gifting strategies that prevent financial stress can improve well-being. Avoiding social comparisons reduces both emotional and financial burdens and helps maintain mental and physical health during the holidays.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]