The holiday season and your mental health
For holidays such as Christmas, New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Three Kings, many people travel worldwide to reunite with their family members. These holidays bring a sense of joy, happiness, comfort, warmth, love, etc. The holidays allow individuals to disconnect from their daily busy lives and spend time with their loved ones. The holidays are a great time to let go of the past and embrace new beginnings. Spending time with loved ones could be a way of letting go of the stress of the past year. Surrounding ourselves with family, friends, and loved ones can also help heal our inner child. Spending time with your family, especially during the holiday season, becomes even more valuable as one grows older. It is vital to cherish these moments with your loved ones to recognize how lucky you are to have a family to spend your holidays with.
Ways to enjoy spending time with family during the holidays:
Cook something with your family (food, cake, cookies)
Attend a holiday production (musical, a show)
Decorate your house, Christmas tree, front door, etc
Have a holiday movie night theme
Make your own ornaments
Donate clothing, used toys, food, etc
Holidays can bring us a vast amount of joy; however, holidays and family gatherings can become stressful. Activities such as buying gifts, traveling, making food, decorating, etc., can strain people’s financial, physical and emotional health. The holidays then become overwhelming and cause anxiety for some people. While most people love to reunite with their family and spend time together, others dread the thought of a family reunion. Family gatherings can also be stressful when family members comment negatively about your appearance, what you are doing with your life, your partner, your friends, your job, etc. This is an outstanding reason why family gatherings can become unpleasant. However, you should not let family members, holiday parties, buying gifts, etc., stress you out. Instead, you can look at the positive side and try a few things to help ease these stressful gatherings.
We shared a few tips on our social media page. Click here to find out more!
Ways to ease tough and stressful family gatherings:
Do not try to please everyone. Not everyone is going to like you or the way you decide to live your life.
Plan an activity or game.
Adjust your outlook on family gatherings. Going to a gathering with your loved ones with a negative attitude will most likely result in that.
Avoid controversial topics. (Politics, religion, rights, economy, etc.)
This season can also be lonelier than any other time of the year. Whether it’s your personal choice or you find yourself emotionally or physically distanced from your loved ones, there are a few ways to cope when spending the holidays alone.
It’s also important to recognize that you are not alone. Sometimes, taking the first step to reaching out can make all the difference. Whether volunteering at a community event, saying hello to neighbors, grabbing coffee with your office colleagues, writing holiday letters, or chatting with the grocery store clerk, reaching out to people and strengthening bonds can help you regain a sense of connection and be less lonely. Remember, honesty is the best policy. If someone asks you how you are, don’t just say, “I’m fine.” Instead, accept your true feelings and tell them your reality - you may be surprised to find that they are going through the same thing and that you have a companion.
Ways to deal with loneliness during the holidays:
Being kind to yourself and practicing self-care can help you to feel better and appreciate your solitude more, especially during difficult times.
Give yourself opportunities to heal. You can try taking a relaxing bath, giving yourself spa treatments, binge-watching your comfort show, learning a new hobby, or catching up with an old friend.
Setting goals, creating a plan, and organizing a schedule for what you want to achieve for the next year can help you think less about being alone and more about how you can do you.
Giving to others. Think about donating food, comfortable clothes, toys, shoes, etc.
What makes you feel the most well-rested and content is unique and sacred to you and is necessary for your physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. Another strategy to overcome loneliness is to focus on the new chapter of your life instead of obsessing over the past. Overall, exploring new ways to experience this lonely time of year can help you feel the boldest and best version of yourself.
If you need help relaxing this holiday season. We have put together a playlist for you to listen to. Enjoy