As a psychologist, I have never felt like the holidays were “the most wonderful time of the year”. Many of my patients were far more stressed during the holidays than the rest of the year. Studies support this observation. There are financial stressors, family stressors, loneliness, and the expectations of it all. Here are a few tips to cope with this holiday season.

While we often hope to create the “perfect” holiday, most of the time it doesn’t turn out that way. So planning for imperfection will actually help you feel less stressed. Do your best but expect things to go wrong. A helpful way to look at it is to say “of course” when something goes wrong. “Of course the turkey didn’t defrost in time even though........

© Psychology Today