2019 Home for the Holidays

Page 40 2019 Home for the Holidays LINCOLN DAILY NEWS November 27, 2019 Creating holiday atmosphere: Don’t let the holidays overwhelm you! T he holiday season can feel like a non-stop roller coaster of activity. Thanksgiving is quickly followed by Christmas, New Year’s, and other holidays, one right after another. Such a whirlwind of events can feel like a treat, but even the most extroverted people can be overwhelmed. So how can we avoid being overwhelmed during the holiday rush? Managing Holiday Blues Sometimes those overwhelming feelings we experience during this time of year can turn for the worst really fast. Holidays can cause a lot of anxiety or depression in some people due to the sheer volume of energy required. In this short video, Jayme Hodges, a Director of Behavioral Health, explains why holidays “are difficult for a lot of people.” Hodges says emotional problems at the holiday season are actually quite common. “Maybe you have financial struggles, you can’t buy all the gifts you could last year, so it’s an adjustment,” says Hodges. There are a lot of potential reasons for such feelings, but it can be helpful to know that you are not alone in those feelings, and to reach out to others, especially if you suspect they are feeling the same. “Acknowledge how you feel. That’s the important thing. A lot of people try to hide the way they feel,” says Hodges. It can also help to figure out exactly where the overwhelming feelings stem from. It is often the case that such feelings come not from the holiday itself, but from a deeper problem in our personal lives. For example, some people feel down this time of year because of loved ones they have lost during the year. But we should take that energy and turn it around in a new direction. Just because a loved one is gone, that doesn’t mean the holiday season is useless without them. Continued u