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Telehealth care is available in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, and New York. You must be in your selected state during the visit.
For general educational purposes only, not a substitute for specific medical advice. Consult with a licensed provider before implementing any adjustments to your treatment regimen.
Feeling stretched thin between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is common. Travel, money, family gatherings and a packed schedule all land at once. For most people, holiday stress eases once a busy week or a hard event is over.
Sometimes it doesn’t. If worry, sadness or poor sleep keeps going for weeks, or starts getting in the way of work, relationships or daily tasks, it may be anxiety or depression rather than ordinary stress. That is worth talking about with a clinician, and the conversation can often start with a video visit.
Normal Holiday Stress Versus Something More
Stress is usually a response to something outside you, like a deadline, a long drive or a tense conversation. It tends to fade once the situation is resolved. Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress, and it can keep going even when there is no immediate threat. Both can cause worry, tension, headaches, body aches and trouble sleeping.
Stress may be turning into an anxiety problem when it:
- Interferes with your everyday life
- Makes you avoid things you would normally do
- Seems to be present almost all the time
Depression is different from a sad day or a rough week. It involves a low mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, most of the day, nearly every day, for at least 2 weeks. People with only a few symptoms can still benefit from care.
Signs Worth Paying Attention To
Notice whether any of these have lasted beyond a single stressful event:
- Sleep: trouble falling or staying asleep, waking too early or sleeping much more than usual
- Appetite: eating much more or much less, or weight changes you didn’t plan
- Energy and focus: feeling slowed down, tired or unable to concentrate or make decisions
- Mood: feeling hopeless, guilty, worthless, irritable or on edge
- Daily life: pulling away from people, dreading every gathering or falling behind at work or home
- Alcohol: drinking more than usual to get through the day or the evening
Alcohol is everywhere this time of year. It can change mood and behavior, and increased use of alcohol or drugs can be a sign of depression. If you are drinking more to cope, say so at your visit. It helps your clinician see the full picture, and it is not a reason to be judged.
Grief and Loneliness Around the Holidays
The holidays can make an empty chair feel louder. A death in the family, a divorce, distance from loved ones or living alone can all feel heavier in December. Grief is a normal reaction to loss. It can show up as sadness, anger, guilt or anxiety, and also as poor sleep or changes in appetite. How long it lasts depends on many things, including how close you were to the person and whether the loss was expected.
Grief is not always treated with medication. Support from friends, family or faith, along with counseling and time, is often what helps. It may help to:
- Change or skip a tradition that feels too painful this year
- Plan ahead for hard dates, like an anniversary or the first holiday after a loss
- Schedule a call or visit with someone you trust
- Say yes to one small gathering instead of none
If grief or loneliness keeps you from functioning, or you feel hopeless, talk with a clinician.
Practical Ways to Cope With Holiday Stress
Small, steady habits tend to help more than one big fix. It can take some trial and error to find what works for you.
- Keep regular meals and a regular sleep routine, even on days off
- Move your body most days, even a short walk
- Limit caffeine and alcohol, especially in the evening
- Try a few minutes of deep breathing or a relaxation app when you feel overwhelmed
- Write down what is worrying you, then pick one thing you can act on today
- Set a spending limit and a guest limit you can live with
- Say no to some invitations without guilt
- Reach out to people who help you feel steadier
If you are feeling low, it can also help to put off big life decisions until you feel better.
Where Shorter Days Fit In
Holiday stress often overlaps with the darker months. Some people notice low mood that starts in late fall or early winter and lifts in spring and summer. That pattern can be seasonal affective disorder, which has its own treatment options. If your mood dips around the same time every year, mention that pattern at your visit.
What a Mental Health Telehealth Visit Looks Like
During a video visit, your clinician asks about your mood, worry, sleep, appetite, energy, alcohol or substance use, medical conditions and current medications. Some medical conditions and medications can affect mood, so lab work at a facility near you may be ordered.
Talk therapy and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety and depression, and many people do best with both. Depending on what you need, your plan may include:
- A referral to a therapist, or coordination with one you already see
- Medication, when it is appropriate for you
- Follow-up visits to check how you are doing
A visit does not guarantee any specific medication. Some anxiety and sleep medications are controlled substances, and prescribing them depends on the clinical evaluation and on state and federal rules. You can read more in what to expect from a telehealth anxiety visit. If you already take a medication for mood or anxiety, don’t stop or change it on your own. Talk with your clinician or pharmacist first.
Telehealth is not the right place for a crisis. Emergencies need immediate, in-person help.
When to Get Help Right Away
If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911. You can also call or text 988 if you are worried about someone else.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you or someone with you:
- Has a plan or intent to hurt themselves or someone else
- Is in immediate danger
- Is seeing or hearing things others don’t, or seems very confused
- Is hard to wake up after drinking or using drugs
- Has chest pain or trouble breathing, even if it might be panic
The Short Answer
Some stress between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is normal. When worry, sadness, sleep or appetite changes last for weeks, or start getting in the way of your life, it is time to talk with a clinician. Many people can start that conversation by video and build a plan that fits them.
Learn more on our online mental health care page.
Get Support
Wade’s Care First provides telehealth care in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada and New York, with same-day appointments when available. Visits are with Charles Wade, FNP-BC, a board-certified family nurse practitioner.
We accept many major insurance plans, including Original Medicare (Indiana only), Medicaid (Indiana, Illinois and Nevada only), UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Humana and Cigna. Plan participation varies by state, and self-pay visits are available.
If the holidays feel heavier than they should, you don’t have to wait until January to talk with someone.
Book at wadescarefirst.com.
Answers connected to this topic.
How can I tell whether worry has become an anxiety disorder?
Worry may warrant assessment when it is persistent, difficult to control or interferes with sleep, relationships or everyday activities.
Are grief and adjustment difficulties always treated with medication?
No. Support, counseling and time may be appropriate, while medication is considered only when clinically indicated.
What if my mental health symptoms suddenly become unsafe?
If you may harm yourself or someone else or are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to an emergency department. In the United States, call or text 988 for crisis support.
Further reading: nimh.nih.gov (stress and anxiety) · nimh.nih.gov (depression) · medlineplus.gov · niaaa.nih.gov.
