There are a number of factors that can effect a person's perception of the holiday season, unrealistic expectations, financial pressures, and too many commitments can cause stress at holiday time. For most people is a fun time of the year filled with parties, celebrations, and social gatherings with family and friends. But for many people, it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety. Certain people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.

Those suffering from any type of holiday depression or stress can benefit from increased social support during this time of year. Setting realistic goals and expectations, reaching out to friends, sharing tasks with family members, finding inexpensive ways to enjoy yourself, and helping others are all ways to help beat holiday stress. Neuro Linguistic Programming NLP is an applied psychology that offers a series of tools and techniques that can help people overcome the holiday blues. Completely transforming the individuals experience and memories to ensure the individual not only enjoys the holiday season but is also in control. Negative emotions or limiting beliefs that have previously been formed can be removed, providing the individual with a new set of resources to embrace the holidays.