3 Ways To Manage Your Family's Stress During The Holidays

The holiday season is around the corner, and for many of us, the holidays can bring an increased sense of family responsibility and stress. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when advertisements sing about the joys of the season while we're struggling to budget for gifts, food, and travel.
To help you avoid turning to unhealthy stress management behaviors like overindulging in sugar cookies, here are a few ways you can manage holiday stress as a family this year.

Don't try to please everyone

According to Dr. Susan Newman, a social psychology professor at Rutgers University, one of the biggest causes of stress during the holiday season is having unrealistic expectations.
Some parents want to be sure their children get everything they want so there will be no tears," said Newman. "This is an unrealistic goal. Parents, especially with younger kids get lost in the hype."
Manage your expectations and don't try to please everyone. You can't keep everyone happy all the time. Remember that your kids will enjoy and remember the little things like playing hide and seek with their cousins or board games with you.