HEALTH MATTERS
The Most Wonderful (and Stressful) Time of the Year. Could You Be Suffering from Seasonal Anxiety?
Find Out How to Cope.
Article by Dr. Monika Roots
(BPT) - Hot cocoa by a crackling fire. The sounds of family and friends' laughter heard throughout the house. Your favorite holiday movies on the television. This is the idyllic holiday scene. But what's the reality? Statistics show us that the holiday season, portrayed as the most wonderful time of year, can also be a time when a few uninvited guests come knocking - stress, anxiety and depression.
If this sounds familiar, then you are one of the millions of people who experience holiday-triggered anxiety. One in five adult Americans already struggle with mental health disorders daily, and during the holiday season 64 percent of people with mental illness report that their conditions worsen, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Even people in warm-weather states like Florida, California and Texas can experience seasonal mental health issues around the holidays.
Why do so many people experience holiday-related anxiety? For starters, the emphasis on family time and togetherness can act as a constant and painful reminder that our lives may not look like joyful holiday cards - putting
family conflict, loss, breakups and divorce under a microscope. The stress and anxiety of being confronted with family events, combined with travel, darker and colder days, unusually packed schedules, and lack of sleep can trigger behavioral health issues. Also, when busy and/or traveling, it's common for people to deprioritize their physical and mental health.
But this doesn't have to be your reality. You can give yourself the gift of telehealth! Many people, through their health plans, have access to virtual visits with licensed therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists - making it possible to manage mental health and enjoy the busy holiday season. Telehealth makes it possible to access quality care, 24/7, anywhere you have a smartphone or the web. Visit Teladoc.com/therapy to find out how you can access care from your home, on the road, or even right smack in the middle of your family's holiday dinner.