Published: Dec. 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM MST
Watch the video on the KKTV 11 News Website.
Porch Light Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Steve Carleton joined KKTV 11 News to discuss holiday stress, healthy coping strategies like maintaining routines and setting boundaries, and recognizing warning signs when loved ones may need additional support during the holiday season in Colorado.
I want to thank you for joining us at the 11 alert desk today. I’m digital content producer Aspen Andrews, and I’m here with Steve Carleton, Chief Clinical Officer at Porch Light Health. And as we continue through the holiday season, Steve has taken some time to talk a little bit with us about stress during the holidays and how to manage that stress in a healthy way. So to start off, for most, the holidays are supposed to be a happy, fun time. So why did they cause some people a lot of stress?
Yeah, this is a really important point to start with, because I think for most of us out there, the holidays are really happy, joyful time, and it’s also combined with it’s a time of a lot of stress, right? And so normalizing that for people and making sure people out there don’t think they’re doing something wrong if they’re overly stressed during the holidays. It’s a time when you’re out of your normal routine, you’re traveling, juggling family, work, the buying presents, all the things during the holidays. And so There just ends up being a lot of pressure and expectations on people that we don’t normally have the other 10 months of the year.
And how can stress affect us?
So when we think about stress, It’s important for people out there to understand it’s a physiological response. It’s basically our body’s warning system. It’s our body saying, Hey, something’s not right. You might need to do something here to keep yourself safe, to keep yourself well. And so stress on the surface is a really important emotion. But when felt too significantly and too frequently, it can start to cause fatigue. It can start to cause thoughts and narratives in our head that are really unhelpful. And so it’s just important to be cognizant of that.
And what can make it easier for us to handle that stress?
So when we think about stress and When you think about holidays in particular, it’s really going back to normal routines. It’s really important as much as you can, to try and stick to your routines as much as possible. So if you are somebody that travels for the holidays and goes and visits family somewhere, if you have a normal exercise regimen, you’re probably not going to be able to hit that 100 %, but what does it look like to aim for doing that with 25 % of what you would normally do? If you’re somebody that has a more strict diet and you know you’re going to be off that diet, what does it look like just to reduce the harm from all the different foods around? So as much as you can, sticking to routines and also just making sure that you’re spending time and connecting with people that do make you happy, that bring you joy, that you’re not spending all of your time in some type of stressful environment that you typically avoid the other 10 months of the year.
Yeah, that makes sense. And I guess, on the other hand, what are some of the worst things that you can do when you’re dealing with stress?
Yeah, so there’s a long list there, Aspen, for sure. But I think typically the top of the list during the holidays is increased substance use. We know that people’s drinking and just consumption of alcohol tends to go up quite a bit, as well as your food intake and what you’re putting in your body is It’s top of the list. I also just think it’s a time when, again, you’re out of your norm, right? And so you’re doing things you’re not normally doing. And so all of these things and those types of ways that you’re coping with that stress can enhance and heighten and just make things harder for yourself.
Yeah. Could you share maybe three tips for coping with stress during the holidays for us?
Yeah, absolutely. So I think one that we’ve already hit on is trying to find a routine, even if you’re on the road. Can you stick to some sense of normalcy? I think setting limits is really critical. So limits can be with your alcohol consumption. They can also be time spent with a family member that you know brings up a lot of stress and anxiety, frustration, so on and so forth. So, thinking about how you’re spending your time and making sure you come up with maybe not a detailed agenda with the timeline, but having some game plan, especially when you’re heading into those more stressful events that maybe you’re not looking forward to. And then lastly, and most important, is just taking some deep, long, slow breaths. We know that when we get stressed and anxious, we tend to tense up. And when you tense up, you also tend to hold your breath and not breathe as deeply as you normally would. So anytime you can take a minute, step back, take a deep breath in through your nose, slow exhale, maybe that involves a walk around the block. I think those three things can really help you in the holiday season.
And for other people, when do you know when a person might need help with this? And on the other hand, what can that look like in another person?
Yeah. So on the other side of it, when you’re around family and friends a lot, you might notice some significant changes in their behavior, their appearance, or just how they’re interacting and how they’re carrying themselves. If you have family and friends out of town, just noticing those differences is important. And I think what you really want to look out for is, obviously, substance use is one that’s typically, clinically, we call a loud problem, meaning it can be somewhat in your face, right? If somebody’s drinking too much and behaving in ways that aren’t appropriate in social environments. But also things like depression and stress, right? What you’re looking for there is more the withdrawal and the isolation. Maybe it’s some self-talk about how things are going that’s overly negative. So I think those are things to look out for and check in with people on, if you’re concerned.
That’s incredibly helpful. Thank you. And for people who might want some more information, where can they go to find help?
So if it’s if it’s substance use related, Porchside Health, that’s what we specialize in, and we’re certainly here to offer support and services. If you or a loved one is in need of a therapist, Psychology Today is a great tool. That’s a national tool. You can log on, you can search by region, by issue, by insurance, all the different ways. It’s a good filter for finding a therapist. That’s a really good resource.
Stress management is so important to always talk about, but especially during the holidays. Thank you, Steve, for coming to share a little bit of your insight with us today.
My pleasure. Thanks, Aspen.
