The holiday season can also come with a fair amount of stress and anxiety, and this reality is particularly the case this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the article below, we cover sources of stress and anxiety during the holiday season, and we also cover ways that people can deal with that stress. Additionally, we discuss how people can access professional help for dealing with stress and underlying mental health problems that contribute to stress.
Sources of stress during the holiday season
While the holiday season is a time for celebration, the events of the holiday season can involve a lot of work, planning, and money. The holidays do not happen by themselves, and both hosts and guests can feel a lot of pressure trying to meet each other's expectations. Some sources of holiday stress include:
- Trying to balance too much. The holiday season can get extremely busy. People can jump from event to event without taking a moment for themselves. Before they know it, the holidays are over and they feel exhausted. Packed holiday schedules can lead to overwhelming stress, and they can result in people not being able to spend quality time with loved ones.
- Feeling isolated and alone. Sometimes people have to spend the holidays alone. In some cases, people may have to work holiday shifts away from their families. In other situations, people may not have family and friends nearby to visit during the holidays, and these scenarios can lead to instances of stress and depression.
- Trying to meet expectations without clear boundaries. People often strive to meet expectations of family members and friends during the holiday season. Sometimes, these expectations are undefined and do not have clear boundaries, and people can engage in ongoing activities in an attempt to make holiday guests feel comfortable. This scenario often results in the person forgetting to take care of their own needs and experiencing intense stress.
The critical point to note regarding stress and the holiday season is that stress during the holidays is not uncommon. The public image of the holidays is often one of only the holidays' happy and relaxing moments. However, everyone who participates in the holiday season knows of the difficulties involved. If people feel stressed or anxious during the holidays, it is important that they know that many others have similar experiences.
Holiday stress from the COVID-19 pandemic
In addition to holiday-related stress that occurs every holiday season, the 2020 holiday season will occur during the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people will need to make difficult decisions regarding family holiday plans to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Some of these decisions may involve quarantine protocols, mask-wearing, limiting or canceling travel, and postponing holiday plans.
The COVID-19 pandemic took everyone by surprise at the start of this year, and feeling stress from the uncertainty and lifestyle changes that the virus has caused is understandable. Fortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic should soon be over with the rollout of effective vaccines, and the additional sources of stress from the pandemic will not last forever. Until the pandemic ends, it is important that people take precautions that help them and their families feel safe and reduce stress, even though those actions may result in an untraditional holiday.
Tips on how to manage holiday stress
During the holiday, there are several actions people can take to reduce stress. People can take action both to limit sources of stress and to manage existing feelings of stress. Actions include:
- Set boundaries. One of the best ways to deal with holiday stress is to set boundaries with family and friends. You do not have to attend every holiday event, and it is important to take a moment to yourself during the holidays. Also, the holidays can involve alcohol consumption that may be inconsistent with a person’s health needs, and it is important that people set boundaries regarding alcohol consumption, too.
- Put you and your immediate family first. Holiday stress often arises when a family tries to match its schedule with the schedules of relatives. One way of managing holiday stress is remembering to put you and your immediate family first. For example, only attend activities that fit well with your kids’ schedules, and only commit to family events where you will feel comfortable. Similarly, it is fine to turn down travel plans or other commitments that may make you and your family feel unsafe due to potential COVID-19 exposure.
- Devise financial strategies to help you not feel overwhelmed. The holiday season can have a significant financial impact, and overspending during the holidays is a major source of stress for people. One way to limit that stress is to use strategies to limit the cost of the holidays, such as secret santa exchanges that limit gifts to one per person. Another strategy is to keep discussing gift budgets with your family and friends. Lastly, planning a holiday budget and sticking to it can be extremely helpful. Feelings of stress and anxiety happen during the holidays, and it is important not to feel embarrassed or even further stressed by having those experiences. Following the above tips can help people navigate this time, and people must remember that they do not have to overextend themselves.
Behavioral health programs at Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
Sometimes people become overwhelmed by holiday anxiety, stress, and even holiday depression. Self-help tips like those above may not be effective at helping people cope with their holiday mental health challenges, and some individuals may need help from behavioral health professionals.
At Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, we offer a range of programs and resources that can help people learn to manage their stress and anxiety. Our team of mental health professionals has decades of experience helping patients understand the sources of their stress and how to change their responses to that stress.
Among our several behavioral health programs, treatment options include partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). Both program types allow patients to receive many of the benefits of inpatient programs while still being able to stay at their home residences. Treatment includes individual therapy, group therapy, and ongoing support group sessions. PHPs typically involve around five treatment hours per day for a period of two weeks to one month. IOPs are a step down from PHPs and instead involve about three hours of treatment time per day. Intensive outpatient treatment typically occurs for periods of one to two months, and patients come in for treatment around three days per week. During IOPs, patients can return to many aspects of their everyday lives, including work.
Getting started at Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
It is easy to get started with a behavioral health treatment program at Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. If you or a loved one needs help managing stress, anxiety, or depression during the holidays, our experienced team can help. In addition to our partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care, we also offer adult inpatient psychiatric care and adult inpatient detox programs. To schedule a free mental health assessment or learn more about our programs, contact us online or call us directly at (972) 982-0897.