A typical day at the Hover house is a hectic one.

Catherine Hover is a local business owner and mom of three girls. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her husband was working from home.

“So there was a lot to manage from the small business ownership part of it, and then keeping everything stable at home, that’s a challenge,” Hover said.

But he has recently returned to work, and she finds herself struggling to keep up.

“It's like crisis after crisis, basically,” Hover said.


What You Need To Know

  • Many people are back to work in person and may be feeling overwhelmed after a year and a half of work for home

  • Dr. Manuel Astruc, a psychiatrist who specializes in burnout, says feeling depressed, anxious and overwhelmed is 100% valid

  • Some stress relievers are a good diet, waking and getting seven to nine hours of sleep

Every day, after she shuffles her kids in the car and drives them to school, she has a full day of work ahead. She runs two businesses — Palette, a cafe co-working space, and Saratoga Paint and Sip studio.

With COVID-19 changing everyone’s life on a day-to-day basis, Hover, along with many others not working form home, finds herself stressing over what tomorrow could bring.

“We’ve had to close the cafe several days at a time because we didn’t have staff, or you know, it's a skeleton crew as it is, and if one person falls ill or may have been exposed by COVID, it's like the whole business shuts down,” Hover said.

These every day stressors led Hover to see Dr. Manuel Astruc, a psychiatrist who specializes in treating anxiety and burnout entrepreneurs may face.

He said one of the easiest ways to improve your mental health is sleep.

“Seven, eight, nine hours of sleep, like scheduling that into your day and working hard to have that, is a great performance-enhancer and anxiety-reducer. It helps with depression, as well,” Astruc said.

Astruc said other every day stress reducers include eating a balanced diet, going for walks and meditation. He said feeling depressed, anxious and overwhelmed is 100% valid.

“Whatever you’re experiencing is OK. I think one of the themes that came up with the Olympics and other areas where we had high performers who are feeling the pressure. It’s 100% OK to not be OK,” Astruc said.

Hover knows at the end of the day, her success can't grow if stress slows her down.

Astruc said if you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, the first step is acknowledging the problem. Validation is key. Seeking support from friends and family, talking to someone you trust about how you’re feeling can help detoxify those emotions.