The holidays; the most wonderful, or most stressful time of the year? After the stretch Southeast Louisianans have had these past few months a mental health professional told WWL you shouldn’t put too much on your plate.
Many are still dealing with Hurricane Ida fallout on top of a year and a half of pandemic stress. Because of that, LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Dr. Michelle Moore said you should give yourself plenty of downtime to decompress.
“Be aware that sometimes it is ok to say no to events, and maybe there are some times that if you do feel stressed to be able to take steps to not attend an event, or maybe go a little bit late,” said Moore. “Don’t rush yourself to get to and from places, maybe you need a little bit of extra time, so it is ok to say no sometimes.”
Also make sure you are surrounding yourself with people who won’t add to your overall stress load.
“If there are certain relationships that you know to be really difficult, are there times when you can distance yourself from relationships that are difficult?” said Moore. “That’s a time to take care of yourself, to focus on being around people that make you feel positive and confident, and really boost your self-esteem.”
Moore noted we tend to drink a lot more around this time of the year, and offered a warning.
“Alcohol does not de-stress you, it can make things worse, and make a stressful situation much worse,” said Moore.
If you are taking on too much this season there are some telltale signs that you’ve gone too far.
“If you are starting to feel stressed, and you are starting to feel anxious, short of breath, almost a feeling of having a panic attack, that is a good time to realize that I need to step back and slow down,” said Moore.
Moore said suicide rates also increase during the holidays, so try to pay attention to your level of depression.