Atrium doctor offers tips to help beat holiday stress

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One of the cheeriest times of year can also cause a lot of stress. Atrium Health says the holiday season plays a major role in mental and financial stress. Doctors are sharing advice to help minimize worries ahead of the holidays. One expert says over-committing causes the most anxiety and recommends saying “no” when you have too much on your plate. The same can be said for over-spending. Doctors warn no gift is worth causing financial difficulties.

Dr. Heather Burney of Atrium Health says, “People focus on the happiness of the holidays. Right? And so sometimes, when you have a lot of extra stress, a lot of extra pressure on yourself to do all of these things, to be at all of these events, to get the perfect gift or you’re just building yourself up for unrealistic expectations.”

Atrium doctors say the best thing to do if you’re feeling stressed, is to take care of yourself with proper sleep and meditation.