It's the time of year when people feel pressure to spend extra money on gifts, travel to meet with family, attend social events, and have a change to the daily routine. This can often be a recipe for severe stress.
Psychiatrist Dr. Joe Hullet says it's important to try to schedule down time, and stick with your normal routine. He says "really remember to put your health first."
Hullet: "One of the things we do when we get overstressed is we overindulge, eat more food, more alcohol, get out of our exercise routines. So those sort of things will contribute to the stress as well."
Hullet says people tend to have too high of expectations with the holidays, including after Christmas has passed.
Hullet: "You know, Santa Claus is going to come and you're going to get the right things, and the world is going to be good again like in holiday movies. So there is some depression associated with that disappointment."
Dr. Hullet says the best thing about the holidays for most people is spending time with friends and family you care about. He says is you or someone you know needs help dealing with stress to talk to a friend, family member, or a metal health professional.
One source for mental health resources in Spokane is Frontier Behavioral Health: http://fbhwa.org/
