TOLEDO, Ohio — The American Psychological Association found nearly half of U.S. adults describe their stress levels during the traditional U.S. holiday season, the time between November to January, as “moderate". Nearly nine of 10 U.S. adults surveyed say they feel joyous but overwhelmed during the holiday season.
WTOL 11 got a chance to speak with Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Allison Kuhr of Through Counseling Services, to learn smart simple ways to manage stress during this holiday season. She said the easiest thing to do, but sometimes most difficult thing to achieve, take time for yourself.
"Thinking about doing a little prep work beforehand. So, we know we have all of these obligations, and meetings, and traditions, and church services. All sorts of things. We have our very full schedule. I think it's also important to plan in those times where you can decompress and everybody has their own way of doing that," Kuhr said.
The American Heart Association released a survey and found 79% of those who responded tended to overlook their health needs during the holiday, and some found the holiday season to be more stressful than tax season. Kuhr said everyone's way of coping is different and it's best to try out a few different tactics to see what works for you.
"Some people like to go for a walk outside. Some people like to journal. Some people like to talk with a friend. We all have our own ways of decompressing. I think it's important as we look over this next month or so, six weeks. As we have all this exciting stuff that we also plant in some time to decompress," Kuhr said.
For more information on healthy coping options, Kuhr said it's best to either talk to someone you trust and feel free to reach out to a professional if more guidance is needed. Information for Through Counseling Services is here.