While the holiday season is meant to be full of joy and wonder, it can also be stressful. People are spending more money on gifts and holiday activities. They are around more family and friends as they attend holiday events and other social gatherings. They might feel added pressure coming from work, home, and all of the above.
Whether you or a loved one are experiencing the holiday blues, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or other mental health challenges, it is important to raise mental health awareness during the holidays. Doing so allows us to better understand how to recognize and manage mental health issues during the holiday season.
How to recognize signs of mental health issues in yourself or your loved ones?
Before covering what can be done to lessen the negative side effects of the holidays, it is important to know the possible signs of someone who may be experiencing mental health issues.
Here are a few key signs. Keep in mind that you or your loved one may experience one or all of these. Symptoms vary by person.
- Depression – feeling hopeless or guilty, experiencing lower self-esteem
- Anxiety – unable to tolerate stress, feeling tension, difficulty breathing
- Mood swings – rapid and extreme shifts in mood
- Overeating – craving sugary or starchy foods, appetite changes, weight gain
- Sleeping problems – oversleeping, unable to stay awake, difficulty falling asleep
- Lethargy – fatigue, feeling sluggish, unable to follow a normal routine
- Social issues – irritable, avoids social functions
- Sexual issues – loss of libido, no desire for physical contact
How to raise awareness among your friends and family?
For a long time, there has been a stigma around mental health. It’s been kept in a drawer like a dirty little secret. Yet, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults experience some form of mental illness.
Raising awareness about mental health issues not only helps the person who may be struggling, but it also helps loved ones know what to look for and how to possibly help.
Talk and listen
Talking about mental health is a great way to get the conversation going and, hopefully, keep it going. If you feel comfortable sharing any previous or current experiences you’ve had, do it. When one person opens up about their own struggles, it helps others to feel safe enough to also share.
It is equally important to listen. If you feel someone may be struggling, check-in with them. If someone shares their experiences, thank them for being open. Take the time to really listen to what they are saying.
Encourage kind words
Whether you or a loved one are struggling with mental health issues, use kind words. And, encourage others to do the same. It helps to show support to whoever might be struggling.
Words have power. Using words like “crazy” can minimize someone’s experience and create a negative environment. Along the same line, using positive words can create an environment of love and support. It may be just the thing that someone needs to help them through the holidays.
Learn more
Like physical health issues, mental health issues come in a variety of forms. It doesn’t impact everyone the same way. This can seem scary to someone with no knowledge or experience with mental health challenges. It makes it harder for those individuals to want to engage in the conversation.
Take the time to learn more. Gain an understanding of the possible symptoms. Learn about ways to help loved ones who may be struggling. Identify places to seek out help if needed. Know what resources may be available in your local community or online.
As you gain knowledge, share what you’ve learned with family and friends. This helps to increase their awareness.
Mental health tips during the holidays
Identifying the signs allows you to recognize that the holidays are negatively impacting yourself or someone you love. Here are a few tips that can be helpful in navigating the stress of the holidays.
Identify triggers
Consider carefully the things that trigger you. It can be helpful to write them down. Triggers may include people, experiences, tasks, conversation topics, and more. Nothing is off-limits if it is something that creates a negative response. Include them all.
Once you identify your triggers, notate which ones might come up during the holiday season. Create a plan on how you can mitigate the negative emotions that usually come with the trigger. This can include avoiding the trigger altogether. Since that’s not always possible, your plan can also include steps you take before or during to reduce the trigger’s negative effects.
It is quite often helpful to engage the aid of family or friends in your plan. A family member or significant other might be able to help guide a conversation if they notice it may be triggering. In reverse, if someone asks for help avoiding their triggers, agree to assist if you feel comfortable doing so.
Engage in online group therapy sessions
Holidays can spark stress due to time commitments, crowded shopping, and end of the year obligations. Finding time for yourself can become difficult, and is oftentimes left on the wayside. Attending online group therapy sessions throughout the month can provide much needed venting sessions to help unwind throughout busy schedules and hectic work weeks. The convenience and access to therapists and like-minded peers can provide an outlet for individuals needing ulterior means of support during stressful times.
Online therapy sessions can occur on your laptop, home computer, phone, or tablet device whenever, and wherever suits your schedule. In our online digital age, access to specialists is easier than ever, and allows the comfort so many individuals require to truly express their problems and stressors during the holidays. Facilities like Alvarado Parkway Institute help individuals with all types of behavioral problems cope with the added stress during tough times.
Set realistic boundaries
As you navigate the holiday season, set boundaries for yourself that you can keep. This can look different for everyone, but here are some common boundaries to consider:
- Limit the time you spend with other people. Even though a holiday party is scheduled for three hours, it is okay to commit to attending for only one hour because that might be all that you can handle. As needed, take time for yourself.
- It is okay to say “no.” Often, we feel obligated to say “yes” to everything, especially during the holidays. Instead, say “no” if it’s something you don’t want to do. If saying “no” is hard for you, start by doing it on easier things. As you practice, it will get easier.
- Set a budget if financial stress is something you experience during the holidays. You can also find ways to make gifts for people rather than buying them. You don’t need to go into debt to have a good holiday experience.
- Don’t force yourself to have emotions you aren’t experiencing. Be honest about how you are feeling. You don’t have to pretend to be happy when you’re not.
If family and friends are setting their own boundaries, it is important to respect them. You cannot ask others to honor your boundaries if you’re not willing to do the same.
Manage your time
Find ways to prioritize how you spend your time. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with the regular day-to-day activities, not to mention the extra holiday activities and tasks.
Take the time to schedule your day if needed. This can be as simple as making a small to-do list with one or two items you want to complete that day. It can include scheduling specific times to do your holiday shopping when the stores won’t be as crowded. As you plan ahead, be sure to also include scheduled downtime for yourself.
If you recognize that someone else is feeling overwhelmed, try not to add to their “to do” list. If you’re able, offer to help them with a task or two.
Prioritize time for self-care
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. When this happens, you might find it hard to prioritize your self-care.
Here are several things to pay attention to during the holidays:
- Exercise – go for a walk outside, complete an online exercise routine, go for a bike ride, take a class
- Eating – maintain a healthy eating routine, drink plenty of water, limit processed foods, sugar, and starch
- Sleep – get enough sleep, go to bed early, limit screen time before bed, create a consistent nighttime routine
- Meditate – practice breathing techniques, use a meditation app, find a go-to mediation online and via a streaming app
- Activities – listen to music, watch a show or movie, read a book, dance around the house, color or draw, spend time outside
If you see someone struggling through the holidays, invite them to join you in an activity. Do it gently so they don’t feel added pressure to accept the invitation.
Create a gratitude list
Take a piece of paper or start a list on your phone. Start by writing down five things that you’re grateful for. If you want to list more than five, do it. But, it’s okay to give yourself a small number to start. It’s also okay to list obvious things to get it started.
Identifying things you’re grateful for has been shown to have a positive impact on feeling sad or depressed. It helps people recognize the good in their life during a time when they feel overwhelmed.
Volunteer
If you feel up to it, find a way to help others in your life or your community. It has been shown that volunteering can help reduce stress because you’re focusing on the needs of others.
Find something that you like doing and that won’t trigger you. If being around a lot of people will stress you out, don’t volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Instead, find something where your interaction with people will be limited.
Volunteering can be simple. You can bake cookies and deliver them to neighbors. You can write letters to the troops. You can offer to watch your neighbor’s children while they wrap presents.
Find support
If needed, find someone to talk to about what you’re experiencing. This might be a family member, friend, religious leader, therapist, or support group. Contact Alvarado Parkway Institute at 619-333-7050 for additional resources.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
