CEDAR RAPIDS – A combination of stressors are swirling around in Eastern Iowa. The cold weather, weak economy, holiday anxiety and flood recovery process can make this time of year tough for people to handle.

This is the time of year when it can be a burden just to step outside your door because it's so cold out here. Add those other stressors you just mentioned and it's easy to see why some people may be more on edge.

Many fear this coming winter will be just as bad as last year. Slick snow and ice make travel tougher and it's easy to get frustrated. But, this is one stressor people seem to have under control.

"If you can't take the winters, you don't deserve the summers,” shopper Rose Hines said.

Even if you can handle the cold, the days are shorter during the winter. Counselors say that can affect people's moods.

Counselor Julie Lemon said, "When you go home at the end of the day and it's dark, people are less likely to want to do things and then they feel less motivated which can cause them to feel like they're not being productive."

The struggling economy has people nervous about their jobs and investments. Some are cutting back on holiday spending. Others are not.

"I think it's going to go back to the pajamas and winter socks and that kind of thing this year,” Hines said.

Shopper Pat Ritchie said, "It seems like people are buying and I know I'm spending my share."

Counselors try to help clients shift the focus from gifts to goodwill.

"I try to help them change those thought processes to be more realistic and to keep the holidays more simple,” Lemon said.

Finally, the recent historic natural disaster has added a new level of frustration.

"The flood basically put a damper on everyone's holiday spirits in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Iowa City,” shopper Mike Kolden said.

Recovering from the flood will take years and no one knows when the economy will rebound, but counselors say people who try to remain positive during these difficult times will be much happier.

Cedar Rapids Mercy Medical Center is hosting two seminars on Tuesday to help people cope with holiday stress. The first it at 8:00 a.m. at Westdale Mall. The second is at 5 p.m. at the hospital's Marron classroom.