Monday December 2, 2002

Holiday Stress

Two specific mental health issues that come up this time of the year are dealing with holiday stress and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Since SAD affects as many as 30% of the population in our latitude, many of us are dealing with both, so coping skills are a necessity for most of us.

Holiday Stress

Handle Holiday Stress Action Plan
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/features/packages/pages/0,12910,542540_547926,00.html
Step-by-step plans
Online self-assessment quizzes
Sponsored site that includes clearly identified advertising

Holiday stress: Keeping your cool as pressures mount
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=MH00030
Describes three categories off stressors: relationships, financial strain and physical stress
Describes "12 ways to keep the blues at bay"
From MayoClinic.com

Grief and the holidays: Coping on your own terms
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=FL00055
Those suffering losses may find that the holidays accentuate their grief
Offers suggestions for coping, concluding with four basic tips
See link to Editor's note, with additional tips on coping with grief
From MayoClinic.com

Holiday Stress: When Family Fun Is No Fun
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/24602/9053.html
Overview with links to four topics:
Don't Let Perfection Spoil the Party
Too Much Fun? Decompress
Learning To Worry Less
Holiday Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder? (see below)
From Aetna's Intelliheath, with medical content reviewed by Harvard Medical School

7 Tips For Defusing Holiday Stress

http://www.onlineorganizing.com/Client_Article_Defusing_Holiday_Stress.htm

Most articles discuss setting priorities - this one includes sample list of holiday tasks, followed by tips to help set priorities
By Ramona Creel, a professional organizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of organizing solutions!"

Questions to help you rank your priorities
While most stress websites tell you to set priorities and delegate, most don't tell you how to rank them. Try this, based on a chart shared at a church adult education class:
1. Make a chart with "Holiday Job List" (potential priorities) listed on the left side and several questions across the top, including the following:
Would the holidays be the same without it?
Is this something you want to do differently?
Do you do it out of habit, free choice, or obligation?
Is it a one-person job, or can it be shared?
Who is responsible for seeing that it gets done?
Do you like doing it?
2. Use your responses to help rank your priorities.

This chart is from ERC, but not yet on the web - see the ERC Library at
http://www.erc-eap.com/library/library.phtml for other stress related resources
From Employee Resource Center, Inc. (ERC), an employee assistance program based in Green Bay, with regional offices in Appleton, Wausau, and Stevens Point - see
http://www.erc-eap.com/ for more information

Shedding Light On SAD
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8596/24734/258206.html?d=dmtContent
Basic overview of disorder and therapy, with reasons for seeking professional help
Links to depression self test and article on Women and depression
From Aetna's Intelliheath, with medical content reviewed by Harvard Medical School

This page © 2003 NAHEC

This page last modified: 02/14/03