Navigating stress and anxiety through the holiday season
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Every profession has a busy season.
For Veronica Harrison at Community Counseling Services in Columbus, the busy season is from early Fall to February.
Harrison says many factors play into this such as the time change, it gets darker faster. But most of all, the holidays bring in seasonal stress and depression.
“Be it grief, or be it the individual is dealing with difficult finances, it’s a difficult time for a lot of people,” Harrison said. “In the New Year, you have a lot of people who are dealing with wanting to be something different or feeling like they should be in a different place. There’s a lot of sadness. Normally till about February 14th, Valentine’s Day, when that’s the last big emotional holiday people will have some struggles.”
Every case is different, but one thing Harrison always suggests is to stay active.
“If you can do something active, that’s great. A lot of people have issues with mobility, and so that’s a difficult thing for them to do,” Harrison said.
Whether it’s been 20 years or 2 weeks, talking about it and getting things off your chest is one of Harrison’s biggest pieces of advice because it’s all confidential and without judgment.
“Therapy is one of the better things for individuals,” Harrison said. “Hash out some things that may be from your past that are holding you back or causing me some grief right now. If you’ve lost someone or this is a pretty good, particularly difficult time of year for you when you’re dealing with losses.”
And if finances are causing stress, Harrison says the memories overpower the items.
“Children don’t really remember the items. They remember the relationship,” Harrison said. “Bake something with them. Do something. Take a walk. Set up new traditions. Have a Christmas walk if it’s not raining or we have a game night. Simple things mean more to the children than they do. In the years to come, then what we think, give them something that will be with them, that they can have a memory that they can treasure. You know, the holidays are a great time, but these are temporary types. It’s just a short period. Spend time enjoying your life the entire year.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call Community Counseling Services at (662) 328-9225. They also offer 24/7 services.
