Getting Help During the Holidays

We plan to have fun during the holiday seasons. We hope that happens. Sometimes it can be a challenge to manage feelings during the holidays.

It is great when we can find joy and happiness with family and friends. However during the, “most wonderful time of the year” sometimes does not happen for all of us. This may mean that our expectations of joy at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah fall short of what actually happens.

We have expectations for our lives and the holiday season can throw us off. Even the time of year for many the change in light and darkness can cause our sleep wake cycles to give us grief or downright cause sleeplessness.

Not to mention that many of us have a lot of financial strains during this time of year. We all have pressures but sometimes the feeling of pressure from gift giving can be over the top. It is enough to be overwhelmed with other things but financial stress can make us feel sad, lonely, anxious or depressed.

Leaving your house for work when it is dark can be depressing also. Getting home after dark is a challenge but some of us dont get any sunlight because when we walk outside from work it is already dark. One of our clients remarked recently that it is like when they were in the Navy and they were serving and living life on a submarine.

Sometimes people are so busy it is actually a coping mechanism to just “get through it.” But the challenge there is that they are not satisfied with their life, or they put life on hold. Our counselors that work with depression would recommend that if you are finding it difficult to sleep, or get out of bed that you look into a lightbox that mimics the sun. Anxiety counselors would recommend keeping a regular schedule and getting regular nutrition.

The point is that if we catch things early we can prevent them. Getting the support you need now can keep symptoms from getting worse or even from reaching critical stages.

“Getting the support you need will give you the skills to manage your time and your interactions with family,” she says. “If you’re a parent, you can better support your kids who may have their own stressors. People think about taking care of everyone else before taking care of themselves, and what they tell you on an airplane is good advice - put on your own oxygen mask first before helping someone else. You need to take care of yourself to take care of others.”

Orland Park Counselors offers affordable outpatient care six days a week. You can make an appointment as easily as clicking on https://www.orlandparkcounselors.com/appointment

Our Patient Financial Services team will work with you to understand your insurance coverage, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. Insurance often pays most of the cost and sometimes all of the cost. Our client advocates will electronically capture your benefits and notify you by email if you are responsibly to pay for any part of therapy.

Most policies renew at the start of the year, so by December, it’s usually the case that patients will owe less, or nothing, towards their deductible, and may even have reached their out-of-pocket maximum. For some policies it is better to get into care before the end of the year because the deductible, once met may not apply for the three months in the first part of the year. One way or another, if you need the care, we will give you all of the information you need to make an informed decision.

Check out our work at https://www.orlandparkcounselors.com/anxiety