Tips can ease stress for anxious gift buyers

Christmas is known for being magical and full of cheer but it’s also a holiday that causes many Americans to stress.

According to the American Psychological Association, 89% of Americans are feeling stressed this year and 40% of those are worried about finding the right gift.

Drew Fisher, a licensed therapist and owner of Fishers Counseling in Downtown St. Joseph, said it’s important to recognize the importance of what giving gifts is about.

“It’s really more about connecting and actually kind of sharing the fact of how you view the person, how thoughtful buying the gift is,” Fisher said. “Some aspect really focusing more on the fact of buying this gift to really connect with a friend or a family member more so than to really impress them or live up to their expectations.”

Going back to common self-care exercises when feeling stressed and checking in with yourself can help. Make sure you are sleeping and eating normally and continuing mindfulness activities.

Fisher recommended thinking about conversations with the recipient of a gift and finding common areas that both the buyer and receiver have. This can help draw inspiration for a gift.

Financial stress can also happen when shopping for the holidays.

“Focus on your budget, try to take a realistic aspect,” Fisher said. “Did we save for Christmas? If we didn’t, let’s not necessarily put ourselves in a bad situation.”

For those running late on presents, it’s best to get on top of it before it’s too late. However, some things cannot be controlled.

“There’s a lot out of our control such as shipping, packages hitting destination and transition points,” Fisher said. “In some aspect, we can only control so much.”

The time to purchase online gifts is running out as Christmas nears and even if the gift someone received was not the best, there is always a bright side.

“The important thing is to pull yourself out of the situation,” Fisher said. “Even if you give your loved one a poor gift, it’ll come with a story.”