Dr. Mary Dillivan

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be stressful for high school and college students as they prepare to take their final exams.

“It’s hard to care for others when you can’t take care of yourself,” said Dr. Mary Dillivan, psychologist at Powell Middle School and Powell High School. “[Don’t let] the season overwhelm you.”

The signs of stress include irritability, insomnia, headaches and/or body aches and anxiety and/or depression, Heritage Health counselor Hannah Winland said.

“Things are going to go wrong, get ugly or get messy,” Dillivan said. “How you react to junky stuff that goes down is important. Sometimes taking a break when it’s way too much for you is healthy.”

Though it can feel overwhelming at times, there are various ways to destress while the semester comes to an end.

Both Winland and Dillivan agree that exercise, setting goals and priorities — along with getting some Vitamin D — can help you relax.

“When you have a goal and get it done, it makes you feel accomplished,” said Dillivan. “And when we feel accomplished, we feel good. It’s when we don’t feel accomplished that we get more and more stressed. When things are going bad or wrong, we focus on the negative, what we don’t have, what’s not good for us, not the positive.”

Being grateful on a daily basis, even for the small things, can help students unwind.

Technology, lack of routine in sleep, daily tasks, communication, overeating and spending also play a role in students’ stress, Dillivan and Winland said.

“If we can [take] an hour or two and put the cellphone or technology away, it decreases the physiological stress,” Dillivan said. “It exhausts the body to check your phone every time it makes a noise. If we can intentionally put it in a drawer or in a room you’re not in for an hour or hour and a half, that does amazing things to the body and the brain.”

The “holiday spirit,” and giving back to others is another healthy way to relax.

“It doesn’t have to be money-related, but just doing something nice for somebody makes the body less stressed,” said Dillivan. “Be sure to keep in contact with friends, even if they’re not in town. [Making] time for the simple things, even hanging out with family, going for a walk and making time for the people in your life that you care about will [benefit you].”

For those in your life, it’s also important to check up on them.

“Listen [and] be there for them,” said Dillivan. “Don’t rush and if they want to talk about something, be sure that you have the time. If you sense that someone is stressed, just ask and make sure they can feel like they can trust you.”

Making plans in advance, asking for help, avoiding isolation and focusing on connections rather than material things can help you or anyone who’s stressed during the holidays, Winland added.