After the Lunar New Year Holiday, Back to Daily Life... How to Overcome 'Holiday Syndrome'

Stress Accumulated During Holidays 'Holiday Syndrome'
Should Be Relieved Timely with Light Walks, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the Lunar New Year holiday ends and daily life begins, voices complaining of holiday syndrome continue.

Holiday syndrome refers to physical and mental symptoms caused by stress experienced during the holiday period. Physical symptoms include indigestion, abdominal pain, headaches, muscle pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back pain. These are mainly caused by accumulated fatigue from household chores stress throughout the holiday or long travel times returning home.

Mental symptoms include fatigue, depression, anxiety, and irritability. Although meeting family and relatives after a long time during the Lunar New Year holiday brings joy for a moment, stress can be maximized due to family disagreements or nagging. As a result, job seekers, unmarried individuals, and those in their 20s and 30s often experience severe holiday stress.

One week before the Lunar New Year holiday, on the 23rd, citizens are shopping at Mangwon Market in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

If stress is taken lightly and not relieved in time, it can lead to hwabyeong (stress disorder) with symptoms such as fatigue, panic, headaches, indigestion, and tinnitus. In severe cases, it can cause cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.

There is also research showing that cardiac arrest patients increase during the holiday period. The cardiology research team at Mediplex Sejong Hospital analyzed 95,660 cases of cardiac arrest caused by internal diseases out of 139,741 'out-of-hospital cardiac arrest' cases visiting emergency rooms nationwide from 2012 to 2016. They found that due to increased stress, excessive alcohol consumption, and changes in physical activity cycles such as sleep, the incidence of cardiac arrest was highest at the end of the holiday period (the third day of the holiday).

To overcome holiday syndrome, managing stress and fatigue is essential. Taking light walks helps relieve accumulated tension and stress, and soaking in warm water also aids in relieving fatigue. However, if stress during the holiday is relieved by eating, it can cause indigestion or sudden weight gain, leading to greater stress, so caution is needed.

When experiencing headaches due to stress, pressing the Baekhoe acupoint is beneficial. Baekhoe is located at the crown of the head, where the line going straight up from both ears meets the line going up from the center of the eyebrows. When the heart races due to anxiety or anger, pressing the Sinmun acupoint can have a calming effect. Sinmun is a depression located between the little finger and the wrist; applying strong pressure with the thumb while massaging is recommended.