The holidays are often presented as a time of merriment and cheer, bringing joy and laughter to everyone. It is, after all, the “most wonderful time of the year.” But for many people in Alabama, this isn’t the reality they are faced with during the holiday season.
Planning, travelling, shopping and hosting relatives can contribute to feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Coupled with missing loved ones or financial struggle, it is unsurprising that for many, anxiety, loneliness and stress can creep in during this time of year.
Luckily, there are some coping strategies available to help quell the holiday blues offered by health experts.
Dr. John Burkhardt is the assistant residency director in psychiatry and behavioral medicine at The University of Alabama. He shared some tips to help avoid a stressful holiday season.
Dr. Burkhardt said one of the best ways to cope with the stress of the holidays is taking time for yourself.
“Find some enjoyable activity that you like to do that normally helps you manage your stress,” he explained. “Make sure that you're still doing that, and not letting that busy schedule drive you so much that you're unable to do that.”
Another way of reducing stress during the holiday season, Burkhard said, is by exercising and limiting social media usage.
“Exercising is always just good for us, as humans, in general, for a lot of ways. It just happens to be one of those things that helps with stress management,” Burkhardt explained. “As far as social media use, I think it goes down to what we always think about what social media is. If we're not happy, maybe during the holidays, and we think we're not being good enough or doing enough, and then we start to see other people's pictures where it might look like they are, that could lead us to some feelings of sadness or depression or maybe even anxiety.”
Burkhardt said one of the best ways to bring joy during the holiday season is to spend time with friends, family or any other loved ones.
“It’s just good to be around others and have fellowship and share memories, maybe even create new memories or new traditions, maybe even seeing some things that could bring you joy,” said Burkhardt.
No matter what the situation, Burkhardt said the holidays are the time to be thankful, and there is no better time to practice gratitude.
“Practicing gratitude is the way to retrain your brain. So, all you have to do is take some time, doesn't matter the time, take two to five minutes. And think about one thing during your day that you're grateful for.”
More suggestions on how to help manage holiday stress can be found here.
