经过将近两年的全球大流行生活，那些庆祝假期的人，尤其是那些与亲人聚会的人 - 知道有很多值得感激的事。但是，如果您的钱包受到了打击，那么季节的额外费用可能会令人担忧。
And economic figures would suggest many of our pocketbooks have indeed been squeezed.
Unemployment is higher than pre-pandemic levels,according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)。Inflation is surging at a pace not seen since 1990, alsoaccording to the BLS。And more than 1 in 4 adults are struggling to cover basic expenses, according to aNovember 2021 report from the nonpartisan research and policy institute Center on Budget and Policy Priorities。报告发现，六分之一的租房者落后于租金，13个房主的抵押贷款支付落后，有近8个有幼儿的成年人努力购买杂货。
“Inflation is making prices go through the roof,” says financial psychotherapistAlex Melkumian, PsyD，洛杉矶金融心理学中心的持牌婚姻和家庭治疗师和创始人。
这是一个问题对于所有类型的人群。没关系s of income bracket, the current financial landscape is making what’s considered “normal” now feel out of reach for many people, Dr. Melkumian says. “Everyone is having to scale down.”
And that scaling down can definitely take its toll on mental health, especially when it comes to the “most wonderful time of the year.” A lot of us have high expectations when it comes to the holidays. If you have to cut back on gift-giving or other seasonal festivities, Melkumian says: “This may bring up feelings of shortcomings and being 'less than.'”
通货膨胀或低工资可能不容易解决。但是根据梅尔库米安（Melkumian）的说法：“这有助于停顿并了解整个世界正在经历它。”
Here’s more on why you might be feeling so stung by the current economic realities and how to cope.
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COVID-19的不确定性使金钱的担忧更糟
Money stress is no new phenomenon. U.S. adults ranked it as the biggest source of stress in pre-pandemic times, according to a2015 report from the American Psychological Association (APA)。More than 1 in 4 adults said then that they feltbob bet体育
about money all or most of the time.
But money stress has become more acute for many during the pandemic. Income loss and concern about financial security have been associated with increased depression, regardless of how much money people made before the pandemic or their level of anxiety related to the coronavirus itself, according to astudy published in August 2021 in the情感障碍杂志。
That research suggests it’s not only income loss or financial hits that cause financial stress; worrying about potential financial hardships causes stress, too.
围绕大流行和就业市场未来的不确定性肯定会引发焦虑。Megan McCoymegan McCoy，博士, a licensed marriage and family therapist and personal financial planning professor at Kansas State University, who researches the relationship between financial planning and mental health.
“Unfortunately, despite advancements withCOVID-19treatments and vaccines, we still do not know when the pandemic will truly be behind us,” Dr. McCoy says.
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假期的金钱麻烦带来了独特的刺痛
For many of us, gift-giving is a way of reinforcing social ties with friends and family. We can feel a deep sense of shame when we’re not able to give gifts or feel upset if we don’t receive gifts from people we’re close to who we’ve exchanged gifts with in the past, saysEd Coambs, a certified financial planner and financial marriage and family therapist who is the author of健康的爱和金钱方式，and has developed financial psychology courses for couples and individuals.
“当我们为羞耻而搏斗时，我们正在为我们的可接受感而奋斗，”科姆布斯说。我们担心，如果没有交换礼物，我们与亲人的关系将受到损害，而我们的羞耻感只有当我们负担得起的礼物似乎足够大以表达我们重视这一关系多少时，我们的羞耻感才会增加。
On the flip side, we can also feel like our relationship isn’t valued if we don’t receive a gift or receive a gift that’s smaller than we expected, Coambs says.
有些人将金钱视为情绪困扰的魔术。因此，当他们没有资金来创造完美的假期体验（无论是购买礼物还是季节的其他礼物）时，他们会感到痛苦，而不是欣赏以较便宜的方式庆祝的潜力，McCoy补充说。
麦科伊说，其他人则将他们的净资产等同于他们的自我价值，并感到无法负担假期活动是个人失败，而不是暂时的财务挫折。
In other instances, people may feel so anxious about the potential for their finances to take a turn for the worse that they cut spending too drastically and miss out on opportunities to connect with friends and family.
尤其是因为我们当中有很多人因去年大流行而错过了见面或交换礼物，所以我们为自己施加了更大的压力，以使假期和我们今年的礼物特别特别。Debra L. Kaplan, a licensed professional counselor and financial therapist based in Tucson, Arizona.
“今年许多人普遍存在'不够'的感觉。她说：“好像人们需要弥补失去的机会来表现爱和感情。”“假期已经充满了情绪和家庭期望。”
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在这个假期应对财务压力的技巧
You may not be able to change your financial circumstances in time for the holidays, but there is a lot you can do to manage the stress you may feel around your spending this time of year, financial therapists say. Some things include:
- Watch out for avoidant behavior当涉及到金钱问题。拒绝做bout money or open bills this time of year will only make your holiday financial stress feel worse, McCoy says.
- 反思（和谈论）过去的经历关于未满足的礼物期望。科姆布斯说，与某人谈论过去无法送礼物或没有收到礼物的人的感受可以帮助您在人际关系中建立“财务同理心”。
- 设置边界to limit financial stress. Don’t be afraid to limit gifts you will give and what celebrations you will join this year if you can’t afford to do as much as you might like, Kaplan says. Consider how to reinvent how you celebrate to save money.
- Focus on experiences不是事物。Melkumian建议，在盒子外面思考，尝试举办礼品派对，为人们烘烤东西，或者扔掉一个大餐，而不是主持一顿大餐并亲自付出整个账单。
