How do you mentally prepare for the holidays?
NAMI offers these 10 tips to help with holiday anxiety or depression.
- Stick to normal routines as much as possible.
- Get enough sleep or rest.
- Take time for yourself, but don’t isolate yourself.
- Eat and drink in moderation and don’t drink alcohol if you are feeling down.
- Get exercise, even if it’s only taking a short walk.
How can I reduce my anxiety during the holidays?
Coping with holiday anxiety and stress
- Stress and depression during the holidays are commonly associated with:
- Exercise.
- Get enough rest.
- Find time to visit with friends and have some fun.
- Develop a holiday budget.
- Use your calendar to plan specific days for shopping, baking, and visiting friends.
- Get some fresh air.
How do you survive the mental holidays?
Try to prevent stress and depression in the first place, especially if the holidays have taken an emotional toll on you in the past.
- Acknowledge your feelings.
- Reach out.
- Be realistic.
- Set aside differences.
- Stick to a budget.
- Plan ahead.
- Learn to say no.
- Don’t abandon healthy habits.
Why are holidays tough on mental health? The reasons given: lack of time, financial pressure, gift-giving, and family gatherings. To make matters worse, the National Alliance on Mental Illness noted that 64% of individuals living with a mental illness felt that their conditions worsened around the holidays.
How do you mentally prepare for the holidays? – Additional Questions
Is it normal to feel lonely on holidays?
Despite what all those greeting cards tell you, it’s perfectly fine to feel sad or lonely during the holidays. The important thing to keep in mind is that these feelings won’t last forever. “Feelings are temporary — they come and go like waves,” Dai says.
What are vacation blues?
Post-vacation blues (Canada and US), post-holiday blues (UK, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries), vacation/holiday blues or post-travel depression (PTD) is a type of mood that persons returning home from a long trip (usually a vacation) may experience.
Why are the holidays so stressful?
There are a lot of expectations around the holidays. Many people associate the holidays with social gatherings, rituals, and happy memories. These expectations can lead to stress. It can quickly become overwhelming to make every meal award-worthy and every wrapped gift look perfect.
How do holidays affect people’s emotions?
40% of people living with a mental illness found that the holidays made their symptoms “somewhat worse.” Roughly 755 respondents reported that the holidays added to them feeling sad or dissatisfied. 68% felt financially stressed. 66% felt lonely.
How does Christmas affect mental health?
Difficult and stressful experiences at Christmas could make your mental health worse. Enjoying Christmas might also affect your mental health, for example if it triggers hypomania or mania. It can be harder to access services that normally help you. Some of these services may be closed during the Christmas period.
Why do I get anxiety at Christmas?
“But many factors help make the holidays so stressful: fatigue, unrealistic expectations, commercialization, financial constraints, and the inability to be with one’s family and friends.” Wrapped up in shiny paper with each one of these factors is the act of gift giving.
How do I stop being overwhelmed at Christmas?
How to Deal with Overwhelming Christmas Stress
- Prepare for the Christmas Season Stress.
- Set Boundaries to Reduce Christmas Stress.
- Slow Down This Year.
- Simplify Everything by Scaling Back.
- Take Time for Yourself.
- Just Say No.
- Focus On The Important Stuff.
- How do you deal with Overwhelming Christmas Stress?
Why is my anxiety worse on holiday?
Stress and anxiety around holidays are often linked to people projecting ahead – holidays are a change from our day-to-day routines and we aren’t enjoying the break because we’re too busy worrying about the unknown.
Why is my anxiety worse during the holidays?
Many factors, including unrealistic expectations, financial pressures, and excessive commitments can cause stress and anxiety at holiday time. Certain people may feel anxious or depressed around the winter holidays due to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
