It is the most wonderful time of the year, where we think about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose. While it may seem so wonderful for some, for others it isn’t always that way.

Holidays can also be a very stressful time of the year, from family problems to financial problems to just the not being the in holiday spirit because you have so much to worry about.

Fortunately, there are ways to survive the sometimes wonderful and stressful season of the year. Recently, the Wellness Center had a workshop called “Holiday Blues.” This workshop where students could get some advice on how to help out your mental health during those times of the year.

One of the common problems during the holidays is family. If your relationship with your family isn’t the greatest, you don’t really want to be in close proximity to your family for several days, maybe they have so many expectations for you to become a doctor at the age of 21, solve world hunger, or cure a common cold.

Please don’t forget you are only human and your family should see that too. We can’t expect our problems to be resolved in a one-holiday visit, but it could be the start of reconciliation. No families are perfect but if they are willing to solve these problems for you then you can work it out one day at a time. You also don’t need to have this super perfect life just to please your family. If you are looking for a job then they should be proud, if you are in school getting your education they should be proud, they should be proud that you are making something of yourself.

The post-election talks are also the hardest because on one side you got someone who supported Trump on the other side you got one that supported Clinton. What do you do when your families are divided politically and they try to bring you into it. You can either go along with it or you can agree as a group in advance and have an agreement on no political talk during holiday dinners, and if the talk of politics occurs, be the bigger person and don’t be a sore loser or a gloating winner. Regardless of who you voted for, politics should not get in the way of a nice family dinner.

Financial problems can also be a factor is a not so great holiday season, maybe you just got laid off from your job, maybe you have people that are wanting some pretty expensive gifts, may your current job doesn’t pay that well. I can tell you that no matter what you get people they will still love you and if they don’t then you might need to rethink your relationship with those people.

Another important thing to prepare for the inevitable is to take care of yourself. We all get stressed for the holidays and I can’t fathom how important self-care is. One thing you can do it take deep breaths, count to ten or one-hundred or whatever, make sure you remember to take some time for yourself, self-care is not selfish.

No one should be sad for the holidays, and while there are obstacles in the way of happiness, you have the power to not let those blues get to you. You deserve to have a great holiday season. So get out there and deck the halls!