If the holiday make you feel more stressed than blessed remember that you are not alone. The year end pressures of the holidays combine with the normal colder weather and snow which we are now experiencing and will probably be that way for awhile. We take some information from a mental health memo from Austin Welker a Clinical Supervisor of the Gateway Chemical Dependency Treatment Unit at the Human Services Center in Yankton. Austin talks about that memo he was asked to put together.
988 is the mental health crisis line implemented in July of 2022. Welker talks about things we can do on a day to day basis to impact the stress from this time of year.
With modern conveniences at our fingertips how sensitive are we to the holiday stressors. How much seasonal related pressure can we take before it impacts our physical and mental health. Welker said even with the modern world advantages it is important to remember the historic example of “prairie fever” when settlers were moving across the region.
Welker’s Mental Health Memo is can be read at dss.sd.gov scroll down to Recent news and click on Blessed Stressed Holidays.
