How to Beat the Black Friday Stress

For many people, the joy of the Thanksgiving holiday isn’t the feast, it’s Black Friday. It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and this year it falls on November 26. It is a day where people take their holiday savings and enjoy tremendous discounts on goods and items they have been looking at for most of the year. This can be a time of great fun, but it can also be a time of significant stress.

If you’re working on overcoming an addiction, it’s common to begin to feel stressed out during this time. All the clamoring for the best gifts, not knowing who to buy for anymore or how much you can really afford to spend, and the temptation for holiday goodies that often include alcoholic beverages and lavish lifestyles can be too much to bear for many in recovery.

Understanding why Black Friday makes us feel so stressed out–and knowing how to offset most of those feelings–can help you make the most of great savings and still have a wonderful first day of the Holiday Season.

Why Black Friday Causes us to Feel Stressed Out

For most people, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Holiday Season. This is a time when the primary thoughts are on the gifts we give loved ones. Black Friday can be an excellent time to get a great deal on a treasure for your mother, but if you don’t have a plan, you may find that you’re left wondering what to get, where to shop, and if it’s going to be enough.

Many people find this day to be a huge disappointment because they can’t afford what they want to get or can’t find it before it sells out, now having to choose something else.

Budgeting and actually sticking to the budget can be really difficult, too, so many choose to sit the day out and shop at a different time.

Tips to Enjoy Black Friday More This Year

Some stores open Thanksgiving night and stay open all day on Black Friday, and other stores open in the early morning hours so that dedicated shoppers can get a jump on their shopping. You should know that you don’t have to get up super early or stay up really late to get great deals, and sometimes, the best shopping experience is long after everyone has gone home to bed.

–          Consider going shopping with friends and family that don’t stress you out already, and only after you’ve stopped for coffee or breakfast. This will give the crowds time to thin out and offer you some time to enjoy the day.

–          Set a budget for gifts, and maybe leave a little money for yourself, too. Unless you’re certain you can comfortably break the budget, just don’t. No matter what. Remember that it’s not always about the gifts you give your loved ones, it’s about whether they have significance.

–          Avoid the situations that make you nervous or stressed. If you’re the type that can’t handle crowds, wait for Cyber Monday and order that gem online. Stay away from crowds and uncomfortable circumstances and you’ll find that Black Friday is a day you can truly enjoy.

–          Opt-out entirely if you don’t love shopping or don’t have anything on your list that is seriously discounted. Instead, consider doing something like Holiday decorating, having a post-Thanksgiving movie binge day, or make a new tradition.

Whether you love it or hate it, Black Friday is the beginning of stressful Holiday Shopping time. Whether you choose to embrace it or want to ignore it is up to you, but you don’t have to let it ruin your joy of the season.

Sources:

1.       Blackfriday.com – Black Friday

2.       Medicaldaily.com – Cyber Monday