{"id":334091,"date":"2025-12-07T00:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/334091\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T00:50:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:50:11","slug":"experts-offer-tips-to-manage-holiday-stress-amid-record-spending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/334091\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts offer tips to manage holiday stress amid record spending"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) \u2014 As the holiday season approaches, many Americans are feeling the pressure of increased spending and expectations. <\/p>\n<p>According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to allocate nearly $900 for gifts and seasonal items this year, with overall spending projected to reach nearly $1 trillion\u2014almost double what was spent a decade ago.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE |<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews4.com\/news\/local\/protesters-urge-holiday-shoppers-to-boycott-major-retailers-south-carolina-protests-trump-administration-dei-diversity-equity-inclusion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> &#8220;Protesters urge holiday shoppers to boycott major retailers.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Sarah Coker, director of psychiatry at Roper St. Francis, highlighted the stressors of the season. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of expectation to purchase gifts, lots of things due at the end of the year,&#8221; she said. &#8220;There&#8217;s also time off and for some people not getting paid.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>She emphasized the importance of pacing oneself, advising, &#8220;Always tell people kind of pace it out, try to spread things out, make sure you schedule some me time, downtime in between.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A new report from &#8220;Compare the Market&#8221; lists Charleston as the third-most anxious small city in the country, with both large and small cities feeling the strain of everyday stress. <\/p>\n<p>Dr. Coker noted that financial stressors and the daily struggle of managing a calendar are significant contributors to holiday anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE | <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews4.com\/news\/local\/cybersecurity-experts-warn-holiday-shoppers-of-rising-online-scams-ai-scammers-social-media-texts-calls-emails-spam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8220;Cybersecurity experts warn holiday shoppers of rising online scams.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lynn Tompkins, a 27-year-old shopper, shared her experience, often describing it as &#8220;stressful.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m 27, I work a full-time job,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Things are expensive. I have three roommates, family&#8217;s a little everywhere. Lots of traveling, but it&#8217;ll still get done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To manage holiday stress, experts recommend viewing the holidays as a marathon, not a sprint, and taking time for oneself. Making a list can help stay organized, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial, especially as finances are a major source of stress this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) \u2014 As the holiday season approaches, many Americans are feeling the pressure of increased spending&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334092,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260],"class_list":{"0":"post-334091","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}