Managing Mental Health During the Holidays
As wonderful as the holiday season can be, it can also be a difficult time for a number of reasons. Festive celebrations might mark sad anniversaries or be a reminder of traditions or people you have lost. Perhaps your version of holidays didn’t include celebrations, and the commercialism and giving spirit emphasizes more stress than good tidings. This blog is going to explore some practical tips you can apply to reduce your stress over this holiday season regardless of your participation in any festive activity or not.
Know Your Limits
- Do some holiday baking
- Make homemade Christmas tree ornaments from bits and pieces you find in nature
- In honour of giving gifts, donate to a charity of your choosing
- Do a Secret Santa or “white elephant” gift exchange so that the responsibility of buying gifts for everyone is distributed among the members of the group, whether it is family, friends or coworkers
Set Boundaries
- Know your effective grounding/calming strategies ahead of time – take a time out to practice calm breathing, use a crossword for mental distraction, go for a walk, bring a book to read, etc.
- Tap into your feelings – recognize that guilt can arise from a desire for harmony, but if you are sacrificing your own feelings or needs, then you can set a boundary
- Give yourself permission to set a boundary
- Be direct with your boundary and have a consequence in mind, e.g., “if you continue to talk about this subject, I’m going to leave”
Keep a Routine
Get Enough Sleep
Practice Gratitude
Practice Moderation
The holidays can be a time of indulgence, including with food and alcohol. For individuals who are in eating disorder recovery, the holidays can be an especially difficult time as triggers may be present around or on the table. With alcohol, it may be commonplace to have a few drinks during holiday gathering. Practicing mindful drinking (sip, savour and space out your drinks) can lead to healthy moderation and avoid the negative side effects of alcohol such as decreased mood and increased anxiety.
Ask for Help
References:
https://keltymentalhealth.ca/blog/2019/12/keeping-well-over-holidays
https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-stay-mentally-healthy-during-the-holidays/
https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-way-to-build-and-preserve-better-boundaries/
[Editor’s note: This blog written by Ashley Greensmyth has been cross-posted at www.ashleygreensmyth.com/holiday-mental-health]
Ashley Greensmyth
My name is Ashley Greensmyth and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Parallel Wellness. I help adolescents, adults and couples overcome anxiety, stress, mood and relationship challenges. I talk about the courage to be imperfect and how to embrace vulnerability without shame. Couples can expect to learn how to talk openly and trust in change. Let’s work together towards greater well-being.
Learn more about Ashley on the Parallel Wellness Youtube Channel.
Hey there!!
I'm Meredith MacKenzie, the founder of Parallel Wellness and a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Simply put, I love to talk about psychology, emotions and all the things that make us human. My goal for this blog is to share information, resources and a fresh perspective on what brings clients to our practice.
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