Tips for keeping stress and anxiety down during the holidays

The holidays are finally here, which means traveling to a picturesque destination and going back home to spend time with our loved ones.

But holiday travel isn’t always pleasant. First, there’s that dreaded bumper-to-bumper traffic that’s achingly slow enough to stress anybody out. Add crazy big crowds at the airport in the mix, too.

Dr. Jon Edward B. Jurilla of the Section of Psychiatry at Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) shares that the stress and tension you get during holiday trips could be a unique feeling called travel anxiety.

“Travel anxiety is characterized by the tension that comes from visiting an unfamiliar place or even just the stress of traveling,” Dr. Jurilla explains. “Combine this with the mad rush of frenzied crowds at any airport, terminal, and road and it makes for a not-so-happy holiday.”

While these unpleasant feelings might put a momentary damper on your holiday spirit, they don’t have to stay there forever. You can start out by identifying your stress or anxiety triggers and planning ahead.