How Your Team Can Beat “The Christmas Effect”
Holiday stress can bring about what researchers are calling “the Christmas effect,” a worsening of mental health in December that can impact one’s ability to work or socialize.
So how do you notice the signs of the Christmas effect in your team, and furthermore, how do you beat it?
What is ‘The Christmas Effect’?
The Christmas Effect is a term coined in a 2011 edition of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, and originally was a descriptor of how certain mental health issues, like substance abuse, depression, or isolation can worsen over Christmas. But it’s evolved into a catch-all for the way that the holiday season negatively impacts one’s mood, focus, and socialization abilities, especially in the workplace.
While it might seem like Christmas can dominate your mental space like an impending vacation would, many don’t see the holidays as a relaxing time at all. A 2015 survey from Healthline reports that 44% of people feel stressed during Christmas, with an additional 18% feeling extremely stressed. And according to the APA, only 8% of people find the holidays to be a happy, stress-relieving occasion. This added emotional tax can be draining, and if you find yourself trying to juggle work at the same time (especially if you have an impending project like a product launch or a content pivot), it can make you nuttier than a Panettone fruit cake.
It seems extremely counterintuitive that the most wonderful time of the year would be a month of isolation rather than connection, but psychologically, there are a few reasons that the Christmas effect would emerge. Studies show that one of the main reasons that people end up feeling down in December is that everyone else is having a good time surrounded by family, friends, and loving relationships, whereas they’re either in undesirable familial situations or all alone. Whether or not that’s truly the case is dependent upon the person, but for the most part, it’s more of a twisted fantasy than a reality – but it’s hurtful all the same.
Noticing the signs
It’s entirely possible that you or your teammates might be suffering from the Christmas effect without even realizing it, so it’s important to keep your eye out for unusual behavior.
1. Avoiding work
First, you might notice that colleagues might not be attending meetings with their cameras on, they might be calling out earlier and showing up to work later, or they’re having issues with deadlines when they’re usually very on top of things. Some refer to this withdrawn and detached phenomenon as “festive fizzleout.” The theory posits that by December 18th, chances are that you and your teammates’ minds are more on Christmas traveling, seeing old friends, or dealing with family drama. As a result, work is put on the backburner and your family life is in the front, and rather than communicating with coworkers about it, you sequester yourself to manage it on your own.
2. Behaving differently
Next, if you notice your teammate acting differently than their normal chipper selves, the Christmas effect could be taking hold. Their physical appearance might be different, their eating or sleeping habits might change, or they might seem like they’re burning the candle at both ends. This can manifest in physical symptoms as well, such as headaches, fatigue, a sensitive stomach, or insomnia. You or your teammates may feel embarrassed to talk about these reactions to the holiday season, so noticing changes requires a keen, psychological mind and a bit of implicit understanding.
3. Emoting oddly
The last thing you should look out for is a shift in mood. Someone might usually take things in stride or brush them off, but if your normally laid-back coworker becomes uptight and persnickety, don’t just assume they’re being a Grinch. Even if they only briefly mention financial or family stresses, or haven’t mentioned them at all, refrain from reacting on impulse. While they might have said or done something that rubbed you the wrong way, with an empathetic mind, you can remember that the holidays are overwhelming for many, and in their seemingly taciturn attitude, there’s a lot left unsaid.
Fighting the funk
If you’re starting to see that the Christmas effect is insinuating itself into your team’s dynamic, don’t worry – you can still light up your little red nose and lead your team to a winter wonderland. Here are a few easy ways to keep your stress levels down and your spirits up.
Fun activities, especially thematic activities, are a great way to cut the Christmas effect down to size – however, be careful that you’re festive rather than being messy. Fascinatingly, a study from MetLife reported that there’s a whopping 77% drop in productivity the day after a holiday party, as the first few hours of the day are usually spent recovering from the wild antics of the prior night. Rather than doing something that brings you away from work and might enable maladaptive coping mechanisms, try something a little more lowkey, like decorating gingerbread houses or having an ugly sweater day.
Another way to alleviate the stress of the Christmas effect is to plan a silent hour just for you and your team to take care of overdue tasks or recenter your workflow. Your teammates may not be getting a lot of quiet time, especially if they’re visiting family, surrounded by stimuli as they’re attempting to work. Creating some intentional time over Zoom to silently work together can sometimes create a bond more powerful than words, especially when life around you is so hectic.
The final and most effective way to combat the Christmas effect is, to be honest. Everyone struggles with the holiday season, whether it’s planning dinners, organizing flights, trying to navigate familial tensions, or juggling work along with home life. But pretending that everything is holly and jolly won’t just make all the strife of the season dissipate. Try to be transparent with your coworkers so that everyone can feel comfortable enough to share their grievances, and hopefully, the catharsis granted by this honesty can make everyone feel a little less stressed out.
