Increased stress around the holidays is common, but there are ways to avoid struggling through the season.

We spoke to University of Kentucky psychology professor Michelle Martell about dealing with holiday stressors.

In today's medical news, the practical steps, she says, will help you beat the blues this time of year.

If you are feeling stressed and down, you're not alone.

It is the time of year when there are a lot of things that need to get done.

Often people's work schedules are hectic.

There's also usually lots of seasonal things going on, perhaps particularly for families.

And then, of course, there's the stress of preparing for the holidays.

And whatever way you celebrate those, there's usually lots of extra meal preparation, preparation for gatherings with friends and families and significant others.

And then, of course, there's also, for some people, gift buying, which just adds a whole nother layer of preparation.

And I think, you know, there's a lot of mystique and more around the holidays.

You want them to be perfect.

They want them to be heartwarming.

You know, we've all seen the Hallmark movies, right?

And so I think people have a tendency to put a lot of pressure on themselves.

You know, this time of year also can be a struggle for people, even irrespective of the holidays with, you know, it's winter.

There's all stay why we do tend to see peaks and depression and anxiety and so that can really make things even more difficult.

And of course, the holidays can be a really tough time for people who have lost loved ones recently because it can trigger a lot of memories and be really a difficult time to get through.

So the holidays are often very disruptive in terms of school, so people are sleeping later.

Let's just be honest.

We're often overindulging on foods that are not the best for us.

I personally have learned over the years that loss can really be more as I've scaled back on certain things and it's allowed me to be more present and to be in a better mood, frankly.

I feel like that has paid dividends and the things that I've often scaling back on are even really noticeable to other people around me.

I think the smaller, more thoughtful gifts are more impactful because again, if you're feeling under financial pressure and stressed out about your budget, that's again going to lead to tension and stress.

That is probably going to have a ripple effect on you and your enjoyment of the holidays as well as the other people around you, like potentially your family.

Try as best you can to stay on a schedule and to stay eating relatively healthy, like getting all those different nutrients you need and getting all those different food groups in because, you know, if you get off cycle or you're not getting enough sleep and then you're eating a lot of junk food, your body feel worse, which again can contribute to your mood and make your stress worse.

To try to get any kind of physical activity or activity outside, which can be hard at this time of year with the weather or with travel schedules or things like that.

But that will also pay dividends with your mood.

Also trying to remember to take a little bit of time for yourself.

I mean, I often get sick at the holidays and that's not a coincidence.

I think, you know, taking that little bit of extra time to make sure you're getting enough sleep, maybe give yourself a few extra moments in the back of the shower, maybe make sure you have that, cause you get to sit down and have that coffee in the morning.

I think those little the small things can again pay dividends in terms of your mood and staying well and being able to be fully present.