The holidays are well known for bringing joy and excitement. However, for many, the holidays are more likely to bring stress, depression, and anxiety. For those who tend to have not-so-happy holidays due to mental health disorders, here are a few practical tips that could help you cope—and maybe even enjoy—the holiday season.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
If you’ve experienced depression during previous holiday seasons, then it’s important to acknowledge your history of sadness and dive deep into why you felt that way, aiming to identify triggers, so you can better avoid them this season. Furthermore, life continues to happen, no matter what season or holiday is on the horizon. If you’ve recently experienced grief or loss, it’s critical to acknowledge and process those feelings.
Set Realistic Expectations
Here’s the truth: your party probably won’t be perfect (are they ever?) and your holiday may not go as planned. In addition, as our families grow and evolve, so will our holiday traditions. Be realistic in your expectations, and also open-minded to creating new traditions with your loved ones. For example, your adult children may have moved away and cannot come visit for the holidays. If you can’t be with your family, plan a family FaceTime call while opening gifts instead. Even if your holiday looks different this year, you can still find ways to celebrate with your loved ones, near or far!
Be Understanding
While the holidays have the reputation of being a cheerful time of year, they can also be stressful. You never know what battle someone else is fighting, so it’s important to keep this in mind…especially during the holiday season. If a loved one gets upset, they could be feeling the stress or depression of the holiday season, as well. Be patient, kind, empathetic, and understanding.
Create a Budget…and Stick to It
The holiday season can bring on a huge amount of financial stress. Before you begin your food and party shopping, make sure you create a budget. Figure out what you can afford to spend, and stick to it. Going over your budget and spending more than you can afford will just create additional stress that could continue long after the holiday season is over.
Make a Plan
If you’re hosting loved ones, then it’s important to plan in advance. Waiting until the last minute will just create unnecessary stress. What food will you serve? What do you need your guests to bring? If anyone will be spending the night, where will they sleep? Having a plan will keep stress at bay leading up to the holiday and ensure you get to fully enjoy every magical moment with your guests.
It’s Okay to Say No
Understand that you do not have to go to every single party that you are invited to. It’s okay to say no when you’re asked to bake cookies for a cookie exchange. Even though it’s hard, it’s okay to cancel your plans to attend an event and prioritize those responsibilities that matter most. The bottom line is, it’s okay to say no.
Take Time for Self-Care
It’s important not to forget the importance of self-care during the busy holiday season. Studies have shown that self-care can reduce stress, increase happiness, reduce anxiety and depression, and increase energy. So make sure you’re still giving yourself time to practice self-care!
Practice Balance
If you practice a healthy lifestyle, you should continue to do so during the holiday season…within reason. You don’t need to deprive yourself, however, you also don’t need to overindulge and completely forget the health-focused lifestyle you were living prior to the holidays. Overindulgence can add to your stress and depression, so practice balance in order to avoid overindulging.
Reach Out For Help
If you’re feeling lonely or isolated, it’s important to reach out to someone you trust. These feelings can quickly lead to depression, so it’s vital to address them before they turn into more serious symptoms.
In addition, it’s also vital to reach out for professional help if you are continuing to feel depressed.
If you suffer from treatment-resistant depression—and traditional medicine and therapy have not helped—then you may be a candidate for ketamine therapy. Ketamine therapy has been shown to help up to 70% of those who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, even when no other treatment has worked. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression, contact our ketamine infusion therapy center today for a free consultation, or simply complete the brief form below and a member of our clinical team will reach out to answer your questions, determine if you’re a candidate for ketamine infusion therapy, and address your concerns.
Contact Ketamine Greater Boston
Contact our ketamine infusion therapy center today for a free consultation, or simply complete the brief form below and a member of our clinical team will reach out to answer your questions and address your concerns.
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