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Study: Treating yourself this holiday season can help reduce stress

By Mallika Marshall, MD

December 15, 2022 / 5:32 PM EST / CBS Boston

BOSTON - A new study suggests treating yourself could help reduce holiday stress.

If people are under pressure at home or work or running around trying to meet all of the holiday demands, they usually worry more about pleasing others and not themselves.

Researchers at Cornell University found that when stressed out people treated themselves to a small indulgent gift, they were happier, felt more relaxed, and less crunched for time.

You don't have to spend money. They say you can gift yourself by listening to your favorite music, reading a book, watching your favorite TV show, or eating your favorite meal.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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