With the holidays in full swing, many Americans are stressed out—but that stress is coming from different sources this year. According to a poll from the American Psychiatric Association, this year, funding the festivities is causing many individuals anxiety this holiday. 

The top three areas people reported causing them stress were all economic:

Affording holiday gifts was cited by more than half of participants Finding and securing those gifts is causing stress for 40% of individuals Affording holiday meals is causing anxiety for 39% of respondents 

Additionally, 37% of individuals said challenging family dynamics were causing them holiday worry, with 1 in 4 respondents saying they were worried about discussing politics or current events with family members around the dinner table. On the positive side, 44% of those surveyed reported they are looking forward to seeing family and friends over the holidays. Eating good food (20%) and taking time off (9%) were also giving people things to look forward to this holiday season.

Stressed about the holidays? 

If you or someone you know are stressed about the holidays, here are a few tips that may help mitigate stress. 

Say no: If you are finding yourself overwhelmed with holiday commitments, remember it is OK to say no. Prioritize the traditions that you value and simplify where you can. Read some advice from PAR CEO Kristin Greco on how she focuses on being present with her family during the holidays. 

Practice mindfulness and meditation: Practicing mindfulness and meditation doesn’t need to take a lot of time and it can be done for no cost. There are many free resources that can help teach you the skills, such as this online program offered by the University of Minnesota. 

Get moving: Aim to get 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise four to five times a week. Whether that’s getting outside for a walk, joining a gym, or just stretching in your house, maintaining activity can help combat seasonal affective disorder and provides a boost of serotonin to improve your mood. 

Be realistic about resolutions: Although we all have the best of intentions, sometimes it may seem that New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail. Instead of sweeping resolutions, break your goals up into smaller pieces or plot them out on a calendar to make them more likely to happen. And just because you didn’t succeed at first doesn’t mean your goal for the year is over—be kind to yourself and know that change is a process.

As children return to school, many may exhibit signs of anxiety and stress. Your job is to find out whether these are existing issues or whether they are related to the pandemic and quarantine.

Help is here.

The Pandemic Anxiety Screener for Students–12 (PASS-12) is a 12-item checklist developed by FAR, FAM, and FAW author Steven G. Feifer, DEd, designed specifically to evaluate the impact of a pandemic on a child’s school-based functioning.

Related article: OUR STORIES: STARTING THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

A parent rating form, it allows you to rate the severity of anxiety symptoms specific to the pandemic and quarantine and provides information to help school professionals make important decisions.

• Entirely digital, the PASS-12 is administered and scored via PARiConnect, our online testing platform, in about 5 minutes—for the combined price of just $1.
• Raw scores and percentiles are provided for quick and easy interpretation; follow-up with more comprehensive assessment is recommended if the total raw score falls within an elevated range.
• Intervention recommendations and resources are provided in the Score Report, and the free Technical Paper provides administration guidance.

To learn more or order, visit parinc.com/PASS-12. 

You may think that the only people who were stressed out about the election were those who voted. However, according to new research, people who didn’t vote face a unique form of stress. According to Fast Company’s Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan, many people vote for an unexpressed reason: they are afraid others will judge them if they don’t.

People proudly display their “I voted” stickers as a subliminal implication that they “did the right thing” by exercising their civic responsibility. According to this study, many people feel pressured to lie about whether they voted. Those who didn’t vote may fear being asked whether they voted and may fear the reaction of their peers when they admit they didn’t. Additionally, a Harvard study indicates people may vote to avoid lying or to avoid feeling left out.

What do you think? Have you experienced or witnessed voting-related stress?

A recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that the generation known as Millennials, defined as 18- to 33-year-olds in the U.S., reported the highest stress levels along with the most stress-caused ill effects among the four groups surveyed.

On a 10-point scale, Millennials reported an average stress level of 5.4, the same as that reported by individuals in Generation X (ages 34-47 years). However, more than 52 percent of Millennials reported stress-induced sleeplessness, compared to 48 percent of Generation Xers, 37 percent of Boomers (ages 48-66 years) and 25 percent of Matures (67 years and older). In addition, more Millennials and Generation Xers reported anger and irritability due to stress than Boomers or Matures.

Stress is a risk factor for many health conditions, including high blood pressure, headaches, sleeping problems, heart disease, ulcers, and stroke.

It’s not hard to understand why young Americans are on edge. Work was named as a “somewhat or significant stressor for 76 percent of Millennials,” and the U.S. unemployment rate is 7.9 percent. Thirty-nine percent of Millennials have experienced an increase in stress over the past year. And despite efforts to reduce their stress (i.e., 62% have made attempts to decrease their stress levels over the past five years), 25% of Millennials believe they’re not doing enough to manage it.

The good news? Apparently, we experience generally lower levels of stress as we age—Matures’ average stress level was 3.7 out of 10—and we get better at dealing with stress: 50 percent of Matures think they’re doing an excellent or very good job at managing their stress.

What do you think? Does maturity play a big role in handling stress? What can be done to reduce stress in Millennials and in general? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The National Defense Authorization Act recently passed by Congress omitted a key requirement, possibly making it easier for active-duty military personnel and veterans to receive mental health care.

Previously, mental health practitioners were required to be licensed in the state in which care was being administered. The removal of this provision means that military personnel and vets located anywhere in the US may be able to receive counseling through video teleconference technology from a mental health professional  located elsewhere.

A previous exemption allowed cross-state counseling only if both practitioner and patient were located on federal property, but the new law permits care to be provided at any location, including from a civilian location or even inside a patient’s home.

Limitations still exist, however. The delivery of care via telehealth into service members’ homes is not currently authorized under Tricare policy.

Nearly 20% of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or major depression, according to a Rand Corporation study. And telehealth is a hot topic within the military—last year, the Department of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology launched an online educational tool that enables combat veterans to learn more about PTSD within a “second life”-type environment.

How do you feel about using telehealth technology to deliver PTSD therapy? What other changes must be made to make this type of counseling more accessible? Weigh in—we’d love to hear what you think.