Over half of Brits suffer from F.A.D (Festive Anxiety Disorder)

Tis the season to be jolly – but the stress of Christmas preparations is leading Brits to suffer from F.A.D (Festive Anxiety Disorder) – with over half of those polled (61 per cent) admitting that seasonal stress is spoiling Christmas.

According to new research from EDF Energy, 57 per cent of us find choosing the right gift for loved ones stressful and over a third (36 per cent) worry about being responsible for cooking the Christmas meal, with nearly half (42 per cent) wishing others would offer to help.

And it’s not just stressful, but time consuming too. The research also revealed:

• We spend an average of 10 minutes a day crawling under the Christmas tree to turn the lights on over the festive period
• We spend over two hours cleaning and decorating the house, and 43 minutes making sure it’s warm before guests arrive
• Nearly an hour (55minutes) is spent wrapping presents, and 73 minutes choosing and purchasing the perfect gifts

But some are finding new ways to manage holiday anxiety – with a third of the nation turning to smart home products to help with festive tasks - such as smart plugs to turn on and off tree lights, voice control devices reading recipes aloud, smart thermostats to ensure the house is toasty warm ahead of guests’ arrival and smart doorbells to accept Christmas packages.

The survey revealed over a third of us would spend up to £60 on products to help alleviate our festive stress, yet the majority of smart lighting, power and voice control devices cost considerably less.

Philippe Commaret, Deputy Managing Director – Customers at EDF Energy, added: “We all want Christmas to be a time of joy and good cheer, but with so much preparation for the big day, it can be a stressful time of year. Smart home devices such as smart plugs, smart security cameras and smart lighting solutions can help make Christmas chores easy, so you have more time to put your feet up and relax with loved ones.”

The top causes of seasonal stress include:

1. Choosing the rights gift to buy
2. Cleaning the house
3. Cooking and preparing the Christmas meal
4. Hosting guests
5. Presents not being delivered on time
6. The heating breaking
7. Security of your home when you are out at parties or staying with friends
8. Finding things to do with the children