Holiday stress can negatively affect your marriage
If you are like many of your friends and family members, you look forward to the holiday season. After all, Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays provide an excellent opportunity to build lifelong memories. Unfortunately, though, holidays can also be stressful.
In a recent study, nearly 40% of individuals reported increased stress during the holidays. If you do not manage stress successfully, you may experience a variety of consequences. Significantly, holiday stress may negatively affect your marriage.
Finances
Many spouses regularly argue about marital finances. During the holiday season, financial worries may become paramount. Because gifts can be expensive, you and your spouse may acquire additional debt. Similarly, you may disagree about how much to spend on presents. Either way, financial stress can put a strain on any marriage.
Family time
The holidays offer dozens of opportunities to visit relatives and host family members. Still, partners may not see eye-to-eye when it comes to family. If you and your partner have fundamental disagreements about which relatives to see or how much time to devote to family functions, your marriage may suffer. Eventually, family disagreements may lead to divorce.
Work
Trying to balance work and holiday obligations can be tough. Even though you may want to spend time away from the office, you have work you must do. As such, you may have increased work-related stress. Furthermore, your partner may disagree with how you choose to allocate your time.
Childcare
During most of the year, you only have to worry about childcare during non-school hours. Because the kids are not in school during winter break, you and your spouse must figure out childcare over the holidays. Doing so can put a tremendous amount of stress on any marriage.
The holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy your family. Nevertheless, if you are not careful, holiday stress may take a toll on your marriage. By understanding why the holiday season can be challenging for married couples, you can better plan for addressing it proactively.