These stressors include keeping the peace with family, healthy eating, drinking responsibly and staying safe.
Deciding how family time will be spent can create tension and stress, according to an IU press release.
“There are societal and cultural expectations that the holidays are perfect and always fun,” said Emilee Delbridge, assistant professor of clinical family medicine at the IU School of Medicine and a licensed marriage and family therapist, in the release. “There often isn’t a lot of space allowed for the stress of the holidays. Even if something is really fun, it is often really busy.”
The holidays can also be a lonely time for people who have recently lost a loved one or experienced major life changes.
“For people who are feeling depressed or anxious, when they have the perception that everyone else is happy, joyful and enjoying their lives and they don’t feel that way, it can amplify that feeling for them,” Delbridge said in the release. “It can make them feel even more isolated.”
The release included the following tips: prioritize your family’s values, ask for help, lend a hand and take a hand, practice gratitude and remember there is no such thing as the perfect holiday.
On average, it is common for most people to gain one or two pounds during the holiday season, according to the release.
Although that might not be a lot of weight, it often does not come off after the holidays, said Steven Lalevich, registered dietitian for Healthy IU, in the release. This can lead to additional weight gain.
“The holiday season is often a time of increased calorie intake and also decreased calorie expenditure due to less physical activity and exercise,” Lalevich said in the release. “Plan ahead and think about the food choices you make. “If you want to indulge a little bit at holiday meals, make sure to maintain some good physical activity habits,” Lalevich said in the release.
Drinking responsibly is imperative to having a safe and fun season, according to the release.
“People are going to drink more in the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s for a number of reasons,” said Carole Nowicke, reference specialist and research associate at the Indiana Prevention Resource Center. “There is simply more alcohol available, they can feel festive and stimulated by all the parties and conviviality, they may feel stressed by expectations to have a ‘perfect’ holiday, or they may feel sad or depressed because everyone else is having such a good time and they have no one to spend the holidays with.”
Whether it be a package on your porch, your shopping in your car or your unoccupied house, the holiday season can present many opportunities for thieves, according to the release.
“We see a huge increase in burglaries this time of year,” Capt. Andy Stephenson of IUPD said in the release. “Would-be criminals know people are out of town and houses are unoccupied.”
Alyson Malinger
