{"id":150269,"date":"2025-12-11T10:30:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T15:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=150269"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:08:19","slug":"resources-for-ucf-students-faculty-staff-during-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/resources-for-ucf-students-faculty-staff-during-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Resources for UCF Students, Faculty, Staff During Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

There can be many expectations on what the holiday season should<\/em> look like. For some, difficult memories or feelings can be associated with this time of year, while for others, joy may be prevalent all season long.<\/p>\n

If holiday noise is causing elevated stress or feelings of loneliness, you are not alone. According to a November 2025 American Psychiatric Association poll<\/a>, nearly half of adults (48%) said they are worried about missing someone or grief, and 46% said they are worried about affording or finding holiday gifts. Nearly one in three adults is worried about dealing with challenging family dynamics (32%) or being lonely (31%).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no right or wrong way to experience this time of year,\u201d says Kayla Beswick \u201916 \u201918MA, <\/strong>a licensed counselor for UCF CAPS<\/a>, who earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology<\/a> and master\u2019s degree in marriage, couple and family therapy<\/a>. \u201c<\/strong>I try to encourage my clients to reflect on what the holidays are to them, not what others expect it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beswick shares these three tips for navigating the holidays:<\/p>\n

Self-Care<\/h2>\n