CLEVELAND — This time of year, parents are stressed out! The American Psychological Association says two out of every 5 five people say their stress increases around the holidays. The causes typically include stress over money, missing loved ones and anticipating conflicts at family gatherings.
But we also add a lot of stress by trying to make the holidays magical and perfect.
Today on Mom Squad, Dr. Francoise Adan, a psychiatrist and director of University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, talks about the dangers of comparing your holidays to someone else's.
“It's like drinking poison and thinking we're not going to get sick. It's so dangerous and everybody does it,” says Dr. Adan. “Set boundaries, set examples because the kids are watching. And they start to compare, right?”
Dr. Adan says to keep it simple: Know what’s important to you and your family and discuss it.
“It's not easy. And then catch yourself, you know, if you feel yourself going in a spiral. Just realize, ‘Am I comparing?' Comparing to what? Comparing to who?” Dr. Adan said.
In this episode, we also talk about the power of saying "no" and setting boundaries. To see the entire conversation, watch in the video player below, mom squad on WKYC plus or our WKYC YouTube page.
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