Are the holidays stressing you out? One expert says some of that stress can be self-induced. Gary Crawford has this report. 

PARTICIPANTS: Gary Crawford. Bradley Dirks, Kansas State University Extension behavioral specialist.

Transcript

Happy holiday.

Ah yes, it's the holidays, a time of peace on Earth, but for many people it's more like stress time.

So are you feeling a little bit stressed right now?

Well maybe that's not always bad.

Stress oftentimes can be healthy.

It drives us to succeed.

It drives us to do a lot of positive things.

Or can drive you crazy.

Kansas State University Extension behavioral expert Brad Dirks says the stress here and a stress there it might be okay, but he says stress is additive.

So let's demonstrate that concept with some nice holiday type music.

But let's throw in another layer of holiday cheer.

Feeling the stress a little bit.

And of course more.

Starting to feel the stress a little bit.

And of course more.

Now Brad says you could handle one thing.

But if two things or three things are layered on top of each other, there's an additive experience of stress that makes it difficult to handle.

And he says at some point, sometimes, the scale tips and the stressors become overwhelming to the point it can impair our ability to be successful in our lives.

Or to enjoy the good things of the holidays.

And in many cases, we get overwhelmed, we get tired, we get worn out.

And we've done it for how many years?

And now again with everything else adding to that stress level.

It can be really rough because many of us are trying to come up with money for gifts.

And there are special meals and gatherings to plan for.

And relatives to visit.

And gifts to wrap.

And a million other things.

What's driving all this?

Brad Dirks says for one thing, we're driven by expectations.

And there's external expectations of the family.

We've always done this in the family.

And therefore, it's your job now to maintain this.

And there's expectations we place on ourselves.

Is this how I think it should be?

I should be able to do this and accomplish this.

And so he says it might be good for us to take a look at all of the things around the holidays that we do almost without thinking.

And ask the question.

If I'm not enjoying this or if I'm so tired at the end of the day that I don't enjoy the family when they get here, is this worth it?

And to be clear about this.

It's not that we're doing negative things.

It's just that even if it's good, if it's overwhelming in its scope, we need to just look at this and go, how do we change this?

And then be intentional about making some changes.

Doing so though in conversation with family and/or friends.

Asking the questions.

Do we have to do what we've always done?

Or how can we go about making this enjoyable for everyone and reduce our own stress?

Of course, having that conversation might stress me out.

But it is a great idea.

Next time, how stress messes with our bodies and minds.

And Brad has a couple of techniques that can help with that.

This is Gary Crawford reporting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.