The term ‘Christmas holidays’ is an oxymoron. A contradiction in terms, if you will.
A holiday is meant to be an “extended period of leisure and recreation”, and describes a “break” or a “rest.”
Christmas is, for adults at least, none of those things.
Apart from the unpaid labour of cooking/cleaning/washing/shopping/wrapping/organising that we invest over the festive season, there is an additional source of exhaustion that we seldom discuss.
Family jet lag.
We discuss why women really hate Christmas on Mamamia Out Loud. (Post continues after audio.)
Following Christmas, many people find themselves tired for a number of days. Some have difficultly concentrating, and report heightened levels of anxiety.
Just like traditional jet lag, clinical psychologist Dr. Adam Fried says family jet lag is the result of a disruption to your normal routine.
“Many times we may not even realise the level of our anxiety — or the resulting consequences, like extreme fatigue — until well after the event has passed,” he explains.
It’s important to note that feeling drained after spending time with your family doesn’t mean you love them any less. It’s just that you might only see them a handful of times throughout the year, and therefore the social interaction can be particularly intense.