Want to be happier and less stressed during the holidays? Give 'yourself breaks,' says psychologist

Americans are more anxious about the holidays this year, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Poll.

Forty-one percent of U.S. adults say they anticipate more stress related to the holidays this year than last year, compared to 28% in 2024 and 29% in 2023. They list numerous reasons including missing someone in their life, dealing with the cost of holiday gifts, navigating challenging family dynamics and being lonely.

If you’re stressed out this time of year, there are tactics you can try to make the holidays more pleasant. Here’s what Sabrina Romanoff, New York–based psychologist and a relationship expert for dating app Hily, recommends.

Americans spend a lot of time on social media. Thirty-seven percent of U.S. adults visit Facebook several times a day, according to the Pew Research Center.

With so much time spent looking at other people’s lives, it’s easy to compare what your holidays look like to what theirs do.