The holiday season can be filled with not only gifts but also stress.
"There could be financial stress just due to the strain of, you know, buying gifts and presents or having to purchase tickets to go travel and see family," said Caroline Schmidt, public information officer for the County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department.
It's a busy time of year for many people, which can also cause feelings of anxiety.
"There's not a lot of time for people to kind of pause and take space for that stress and to say, 'OK, how can I cope with this'?" Schmidt added.
For some people, getting through the holiday jitters is all a matter of perspective.
"Our family, you know, we grew up, don't have much, and every little thing makes us happy, so as long as everybody's happy and healthy, we really appreciate the holidays," said Pismo Beach resident Tiffany Yath.
Local Carolina Kerrigan says she can empathize with those who get stressed out, especially when it comes to shopping for gifts. She says her family has found a way around this common stresser.
"I think with, within my family… we really focus not really on gifts," Kerrigan said.
For some people, the most stressful part of the holiday season is all the family events they attend.
"It's important to balance those, like this. You know, we took a couple of days midweek to come up here and, and make sure that we, you know, pay attention to ourselves and, and our time," said JP Sekulich, who was visiting Pismo Beach last week.
He says his coping strategy is not far off from what the county’s behavioral health department is recommending in its holiday guide, which covers a range of topics like coping with grief, holiday blues, sobriety, substance abuse and community resources.
To view the guide in English, click here. To view it in Spanish, click here.
