Mental health officials are sharing tips to avoid becoming overwhelmed by holiday season anxiety.
Financial concerns, personal losses, even coordinating a big holiday dinner or party can cause stress this time of year.
Michelle Martel is a professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Martel said straying too much from a normal routine can make things worse.
“If you find yourself burning the candle at both ends, staying up late to wrap gifts, or whatever, and maybe overindulging in sugary foods, you may feel your mood start to tank. And that can obviously have downstream effects on your quality time with your family,” said Martel.
Martel said this is also true for younger people. She explained keeping kids close to a normal schedule can help reduce their stress and avoid behavior issues.
Martel said there are many reasons this time of year can be especially difficult for some.
“Super high stress or anxiety or depression where you feel unmotivated, have problems getting out of bed. Or extreme loss, if you’ve had a lot of losses, or just one loss, like a severe loss. Don’t hesitate to reach out and get professional help at this time of year. Certainly it’s a challenging time for more people than you would think,” said Martel.
Around 30 percent of people experience anxiety in their lives and mental health professionals report people have even more stress during the holidays. Martel said telehealth options make finding care easier.
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