"If we can name it, we can tame it," said Elizabeth Lambe, Counsellor with Envision Counselling and Support Centre in Weyburn.

The holiday season can be very stressful for many people, in addition to conjuring up a whirlwind of emotions.

Lambe said, "If I can say I'm feeling really overwhelmed because I don't feel like I have enough money to buy the things that I want to buy, then if I say that out loud then I might feel a little bit more calm, and now I know what's bothering me and I can change my picture of what I was expecting to buy."

"Or maybe I need help sticking to a budget, or maybe I need to talk to someone because this is very much impacting my life."

Lambe provided some more tips for managing your stress levels this holiday season.

"With holiday stress, we try to recognize what you're feeling and utilize the tools that you know benefit you. For example, I am someone who very much needs the sun. I know that I need some sunlight on me to help keep me up and keep me happy, so I make sure that I open my curtains everyday."

Lambe said that music is another tool that a lot of people use, in addition to "taking big deep breaths when you're feeling overwhelmed."

She said that taking a deep breath has powerful effects on your body and releases a big hyper boost of oxygen into your blood.

She explained that, "Your diaphragm is connected to your vagus nerve. When you take a big breath it actually helps release your vagus, which helps stimulate your relaxation hormone."

She commented that, "the holiday season with the hustle and bustle, missing family, hoping to see people, grieving over the loss of individuals that maybe you don't have in your life anymore - all of that can create a lot of stressful feelings." 

She said the holidays can also cause positive stress, whereby you can be really excited about seeing people that you care about and anticipation can sometimes cause us to act out, with kids being more excited at school for example.

"There's a lot of pressure on the adults to manage all of these things and also pressure and stress on kids too."

Lambe added that they do see an increase in people reaching out to their office at this time of year, which they really appreciate because if nothing else, they want individuals reaching out to them.

"If one of our programs doesn't fit with the person, we can help direct and point them in a direction that can hopefully be beneficial to them."

You can find out more information about Envision Counselling services here