Holidays Can Bring Stress. Here’s How to Deal With It Jelena Kecmanovic - The Washington Post
go to original December 16, 2021

As a psychologist, I always brace for the emotional fallout from the holiday season from my patients. But this year could be particularly hard as we enter our second pandemic winter already depleted.

During what we are told should be the happiest time of the year, many struggle with stress and anxiety related to family gatherings, exhaustive preparations, travel and gift buying. Waves of grief tend to come with full force, and holiday blues can put a damper on any enjoyment and rob us of energy and motivation to engage with the world. My patients also describe frequent headaches, sleep problems, and eating and drinking more than they would like to.

Holidays also can exacerbate loneliness. People without a support system of good family or friends might feel especially abandoned during the time when togetherness is a norm. And holidays often make people’s existing psychological challenges worse.

“I hate holidays,” said Stephanie Suesan Smith, a 56-year-old writer in Dallas. “As days get shorter and all the family of origin issues flair up around this time, my depression gets predictably worse.”

She is not alone. A National Alliance of Mentally Ill (NAMI) survey in 2014 found that 64 percent of people with mental illness reported that holidays worsened their conditions.

Stress levels go way up when families gather for the holidays. How to cope.

Here are ways that you can stay resilient this holiday season...

Read the rest at The Washington Post

Related: How to Talk to Loved Ones When You’re Worried About Their Mental Health (The Washington Post)

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