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Be prepared for mental strain during holidays

With additional expenditures, deadlines and interaction with family members, stress can be a bad side effect during the holidays. But taking precautions and learning how to manage the stress can help ease the anxiety. Courtesy photoELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

For many, the upcoming holidays will be happy and joyful as family gets together for the festivities. For many others, however, the holidays will be stressful and not quite so joyful. 

The upcoming holidays can be stressful for people already suffering from some sort of mental illness, with about 1 in 5 adults suffering from mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. With that in mind, there are things people can do in order to help minimize the stress and unhappiness. 

“Keep in mind that stress and depression can ruin your holidays and negatively affect your health. Minimize the stress by setting realistic expectations, planning ahead when possible, and seeking support when needed,” Dr. Tera Robinson with Heartland’s Hope Mental Health Center said. “What we call the holiday blues is a temporary experience of anxiety or depression, can surface for a variety of reasons from unrealistic expectations and pressures to finances and commercialization. Some basic things that can significantly decrease holiday stress include planning ahead, learning to say no, strictly sticking to a budget, and maintaining current healthy habits. Especially with the healthy habits, a lot of times during the holidays we'll indulge on a bunch of sugary treats, but having all that heavy food can really do a number on mental health and how we're thinking about things.”