Minimizing Holiday Stress Summary
- During the holiday season, stress can increase due to over commitments, financial strain and unreasonable expectations.
- To help manage this extra stress there are various methods such as increasing social support, organizing calendars and plans with friends and family for assistance.
- Counseling or light therapy is available for those who experience seasonal affective disorder during this time of year; antidepressant medication may also be effective in treating it.
- One of the best ways to stay positive is by finding someone else to bless; inviting them into your circle will benefit both parties immensely!
Full Text
The holiday season is upon us. This is one of my favorite times of the year, but it can come with an increase in stress. Sometimes the extra demands on our time from over commitments, the financial stress or the unreasonable expectations can cause anxiety.
Maybe the thought of organizing a social event at your house gives you insomnia. Perhaps the promise of the family dinner devolving into an argument over politics is enough to make you sick to your stomach.
There are some ways to help manage the extra stress that comes with the holidays. Be sure to increase your social support, organize your calendar and the holiday plans to get help from friends and family.
As you prepare, there are support groups and counseling for those feelings, particularly down this time of year. Another useful approach is light therapy, intense light therapy in the form of commercial light boxes has been shown to improve mood and energy this time of year when the days are a little shorter and there’s less sunlight exposure, antidepressant medication such as SSRI are also effective for seasonal affective disorder.
That’s so common this time of year, one of the best ways to stay positive and joyful is to look around you and find someone else to bless. If you know that someone can’t be with their family or is having a particularly tough time, invite them into your circle over the holidays, your kindness will bless them. And that will do more for you than you might expect.
I’m Dr. David Long, and that was the long story short!
and then