Cars, Kitchens Cause Holiday Stress

Welcome the Seollal!

The biggest Korean festival in modern time is the Seollal, its own version of the lunar New Year. But two things are said to spoil the excitement of the festival…

According to a survey, the main reason for stress for Korean men during national holidays is the hellish traffic congestion. For Korean women, meanwhile, the burden of preparing a mountain of food causes emotional tension.

ChoSun.com reports: 

In a survey of 3,500 people by discount retail chain Lotte Mart, 26% of respondents said that the  burden of making food is the biggest source of stress during national holidays like Chuseok (Thanksgiving) and Lunar New Year.

Twenty-five percent cited the traffic congestion caused by an exodus of people returning to their hometowns to spend the holidays with their families. Twenty-four percent said they get stressed out about spending piles of money for holiday preparations.

Thirty-seven percent of female respondents said that making food is the most stressful part of national holidays. Next was the financial burden with 23% and traffic congestion, 16%.

For male respondents, traffic congestion topped the list with 36%, followed by the financial burden accounting for 26% and the awkwardness of visiting distant, unfamiliar relatives with 16%.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that in their families only women are responsible for the task of preparing, including cooking, for the huge holiday family gatherings. Forty-three percent of respondents said that males lend a helping hand in their families.

Holidays are supposed to be fun. Don’t make yourself suffer by letting factors spoil your time of the year. Find the balance. Efficiency could never be had if the lower valance lacks balance. Same is true with people’s activities. So don’t lose that balance.