According to studies, the mental health of over two-thirds of Americans declines throughout the holiday season. At Premium Healthcare, our behavioral health specialists understand the majority of people appear to experience greater anxiety and despair around this time of year. If you want to know how to take advantage of the holiday season while keeping your stress levels in check, read on.

To begin, it’s critical to understand that stress is the body’s normal response to external demands. It’s common to occasionally feel overburdened or unable to handle mental or emotional stress. It simply comes with being a human. Second, it’s critical to comprehend holiday stresses and the ways in which they might lead to anxiety and other negative emotions. Events or circumstances in your environment known as stressors have the potential to cause stressful feelings. Internal stressors (fears, anxiety, painful memories, etc.) as well as external stressors (job change, death, delayed flights, etc.) can both occur.

It’s critical to temper expectations when it comes to reducing holiday stress. Have a plan in place before your holiday get-together begins. Discuss who to see and who to avoid in an open and frank manner. If you’ve lost a loved one in the past two years, it’s extremely important to have honest conversations about the challenges you may be facing. Keep an open mind and expect that things and plans may need to change owing to unforeseen occurrences.

It’s also critical to be mindful that at this time of year, our emotions might be set off in unexpected ways. Respectfully express your feelings and let your loved ones do the same. Recognize that sentiments are frequently just that—feelings—and acknowledge and validate them. They may cause us to feel depressed, worried, or out of control, but they are a normal part of life. They frequently point to something deeper or unrelated. We may overcome our emotions by feeling them out without allowing them to entirely control us.

Remember that your loved ones can have different opinions about how the holiday should be celebrated. Therefore, wherever feasible, be willing to meet those you love halfway and be open to opposing views.

At Premium Healthcare, our behavioral health specialists are committed to improving our patients’ health and independence. For more information please call us at (305) 265-4441 or Book Your Appointment Online.

Share the link!