The holidays can be a very stressful time for many for a variety of reasons and a local mental health professional is offering some tips to keep our mental health in a positive place.

Tony Kirkman is the Executive Director of the Piatt County Mental Health Center and indicates people can often put off dealing with the things that are impacting their mental health during the holiday season. 

According to Kirkman, finding a community where you find belonging and the people in that community accept you for who are. He reminds this doesn't always have to be family.

Kirkman also worries about those in recovery during this time of the year as overindulgence can be a problem. He is offering encouragement to those individuals.

Seasonal affective disorder oftentimes amplifies some of the challenges individuals face when it comes to mental health this time of the year. We'll have more from Kirkman on this on Regional Radio News.