As the year draws to a close, the buzz and bustle of modern life seems to heighten. This time of year is known for a frantic frazzle of frustrated patrons trying to buy everything they need to make for their perfect holiday. Workers finally have a vacation. Family members and friends who haven’t seen themselves for a long time will be revisiting each other once more, for better or for worse. People are taking vacation, planning trips, planning parties, attending parties, and furiously trying to produce appropriate gifts for one another. On top of the holiday buzz, the weather has changed, the temperature has dropped, and in many parts of the world, extreme conditions like severe snow storms and rain take place. For what is supposed to be a joyous, relaxed time of year, there is a tremendous amount of stress in the air.
Stress and anxiety are two different things, however. During the holiday season people certainly are more stressed than they normally are. If their stress reaches beyond even the highest end of normal, on the other hand, there may be an anxiety issue present. Anxiety is the mental health condition in which stress become superfluous and unmanageable. Symptoms of anxiety live in both the mind and the body and do not relent. Whereas stress can eventually be dealt with, anxiety only grows and becomes more stressful. A reaction of a malfunctioning nervous system, anxiety perceives stressors as a direct threat to survival. When fear and adrenaline start running through the brain and the body instead of prompting action to resolve a threat, more intensity builds as does more threat and more stress. In the holiday season when tensions are running especially high, the inundation of anxiety can be overwhelming without the right tools for coping and self-care.
If you know that you are prone to anxiety and stress during the holiday season, it is critical to take every precaution necessary to handle yourself with compassion. With all of the effort you put into your holiday planning, you should put effort into your planning for self-care for the holiday season. In our next blog, we’ll talk about holiday self-care for anxiety.
Eventually, there is nowhere left for trauma to go when we leave it unresolved, and it shows up everywhere in our life begging to be healed. Make the decision today to enter trauma recovery and find healing. Call The Guest House Ocala to learn more about our residential care programs for trauma, addictions, and related mental health issues: 855-483-7800