The holiday season brings about stress for anyone. With holiday shopping lists, the financial and mental burden of gift-giving, traveling planning, and being around family, the holidays can bring about unwanted and overwhelming levels of stress. But, this stress can be compounding for people living with mental health issues like mood disorders, personality disorders, and other mental health diagnoses. So, especially for people living with mental health issues, it’s vital to understand and adopt some things to help overcome this holiday stress during this time of the year. Find out how you can go about reducing stress during this season and start to feel better about going into the holiday season.

Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Seasonal Depression

One mental health issue that can make holiday stress even more debilitating is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Being able to recognize the symptoms of this condition can help you understand if you may be living with this disorder. And, give you methods of treatment and care that can help you manage symptoms. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that is characterized by symptoms of mood changes including sadness, hopelessness, and depression that happen during specific times of the year. Typically, this time of the year is the colder, winter season. So, those who are experiencing this disorder may have even more stress and mood swings than normal during the holiday season. Fortunately, those who are diagnosed with this condition can get professional help through treatment that can help to manage symptoms when they appear.

Don’t Overdo It

The holiday season is usually busy with events, gatherings, and expectations. Having to do too much and expecting too much from yourself or your family can lead to more stress. So, manage your stress levels during this time by not overdoing it. Certainly, plan on going to the events and gatherings that are most important to you. But, don’t feel like you have to do everything. Moderate what you expect you and your family to get done and what you plan on doing.

Prioritize What Means the Most to You

Looking to not overwhelm yourself and put more stress on your plate during the holidays? One way is to prioritize what means the most to you. Do you feel that you have too much on your plate? Don’t feel bad about rescheduling or even saying no to certain things. This could mean not giving gifts to certain people, not going to specific events, or even staying away from family. Whatever the case, don’t feel guilty about not doing what you expect of yourself. Furthermore, when you prioritize the things that you do want to accomplish, you can put all of your focus on these things and have a better chance of managing stress levels because you are only going to try to tackle the things that mean the most to you.

Get the Help You Need for Holiday Stress

Can’t find anything to manage the holiday stress this season? The holidays shouldn’t hold you back from getting the help you need. Whether you’re dealing with overwhelming levels of stress, think you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or dealing with other mental health symptoms, professional help can give you the tools you need to manage symptoms. And, give you a better quality of life during the holidays.

Yellowbrick provides mental health tools and treatment strategies that help people struggling with the effects of mental health issues. Learn more about our services and facilities from our website today.