LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va.-- –
The holiday season is a time meant for people to relax, eat, share gifts and spend time with family and friends.
In reality the holidays are often a time when many people are faced with higher credit card bills, chaotic traveling, and aggravating family members who make people glad they live somewhere far away, said Julie Couture, a family advocacy outreach manager.
The resulting stress can be physical, mental or emotional and occurs when someone feels the demands put on them outweigh their ability to cope.
As with everything, having a good plan to handle stress, can help people feel more at ease, said Couture. Most importantly people should try to lower their expectations to a realistic level or try something that can help ease the tension.
"Sometimes we try so hard to get everything perfect we burn ourselves out," said Couture. "In reality most people don't remember what their wrapping paper looked like or what gifts they received the previous year."
The things generally remembered most are the gifts that are heartfelt, according to Dr. Michael Herts, a behavioral health consultant; such as having a conference call with a deployed or missing family member, e-mailing pictures, or sending holiday wishes on videotape.
There are techniques, which have been proven to combat stress levels, according to Couture.
"Focus on your breathing," she said. "Inhale for a count of five and then exhale for a count of five."
This may seem simple but slowing ones breathing has a calming effect, she added.
Another suggestion is to "maximize your time with your favorite relative or friends and try minimizing your time with people who wear you down," Herts said.
"For some there can be sadness to the holidays when the people we want to spend time with are far away, whether it's because of a deployment, death, or just physical distance," said Couture.
"If someone says life would be better without them or shows similar signs- don't gasp or tell them they don't mean it," said Couture. "They could be looking for help, if you can't help them there are plenty of resources on and off base where we can find them help."
Some programs offered at Langley are:
- Langley's Family Advocacy: provides counseling for Air Force families. For more information, call 764-2427.
- Langley's Behavior Health Optimization program: provides behavior interventions, which offer assistance with stress, worry, emotional concerns and other life problems. For more information, call 225-9585.
- Langley's chaplains or chaplain's assistants: provide confidential counseling for all base personnel. For more information, call 764-7847.
- Langley's Mental Health Clinic: has trained psychologists and psychiatrists for active duty members and their dependents. For more information, call 764-6840.
- Militaryonesource.com: a program paid for by the Department of Defense, which allows active duty and dependents to see counselors off base up to six times, free of charge. For more information, visit
www.militaryonesource.com or call 1-800-342-9647.