Navigating Family Stress During the Holiday Season
TTUHSC Expert Offers Tips on Easing Tension and Prioritizing Mental Health
The holiday season often brings joy and togetherness, but for some people, it also adds stress and strain to family relationships.
Nicole Noble, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, offered insights to help manage difficult family dynamics during this time of year.
Heightened expectations during the holidays can lead to disappointment and tension, Noble explained.
“We take so much time off from work, and we invest so many different resources — time, energy and money — in these interactions that we want it to be enjoyable and perfect,” she said. Noble added, “I think that we have ideas about how we're supposed to interact with others. And if we don't go to all the family gatherings that we've been invited to, we may feel a sense of guilt or shame of some sort if we want to take time for ourselves instead of spending the entire time interacting with family.”
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