Mental health expert discusses how to deal with holiday stress

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The holidays can bring joy and fun, but they can also bring a lot of stress and anxiety. Experts at Burrell Health say there are many reasons for this.

“The holidays are kind of everything, aren’t they? They can have very different emotions and we really love talking about how we are simple and not just one thing,” said Nia Howard, Be Well Program and Engagement Leader at Burrell. “You have the busyness or the fun. Here we are already in December. How is it already, you know, already? So here? Of course there are different relationships. There might be some relationships that have changed recently, or perhaps they have been changing for a long time. It could just be a trip, right? Missing people who couldn’t or couldn’t get in.”

There are many ways to deal with stress. The most important thing is to be kind to yourself.

“I think the first step is to give yourself grace. I love being able to talk about grace at any time. And that means you’re going to get it done the way you want it done,” Howard said. “We want to be able to break things down into manageable chunks. Maybe it’s because when you’re stressed, when the stress comes from thinking about making that big meal, maybe you have someone who can actually help you.”

Coping skills are also good. Knowing when to walk away, taking deep breaths, and having a mantra are great ways to care for yourself.

“Breathe all the way in and all the way out, six to seven of them. For most of us, it can bring us back into harmony, and that’s what harmony means, that those thoughts, that fear, those feelings that are floating around in our brain can calm down a little bit,” Howard said. “The last one is simply to have a mantra, and this one could perhaps be one of the best for the upcoming holidays when we are already feeling busy and find ourselves in situations where we need to be prepared for a while and a long time Mantra is just something you say to yourself.”

Self-care is another important aspect of self-care during the holidays. Exercise, write a gratitude journal, meditate – all of these can be helpful.

“I think the thing about depression, anxiety and all of these things that so many of us live with is that they happen on purpose. We don’t have to solve the problem now, in this moment, here and today, right when someone brings us a problem. It’s a mystery, but we don’t have to solve it. We have a chance to take a deep breath and come back to it later. The same goes for all of our emotions that we experience every day,” Howard said.

It’s also good to have someone to talk to. If you have a close friend or family member you can turn to when you have problems, that’s a good thing.

“Sit with yourself and think about whether you have someone you can turn to. Even though this is a topic that is still taboo at times, I think, right? Sometimes we think that if we have to ask for help or support, someone might think, “Gosh, I don’t know, they might think badly of us.” But what we find time and time again is that people surprise themselves when they actually reach out,” Howard said.

It’s important to take more time to care for yourself during the stress of the holidays.

“It builds up, you know, and when it builds up, unfortunately sometimes it can come out in a way that we certainly didn’t intend. It could come out, gosh, and a lot of times it would kind of isolate us, maybe, right? There is so much in our minds and hearts. It just feels too heavy,” Howard said.

If you have problems and need help, you can always contact 988, the 24/7 crisis hotline.

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