Self Care Tips For People Who Struggle With The Holiday Season

I don't know about anyone else, but there is something about the holiday season that irritates my mental health. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Christmas and sometimes New Years, and the holiday's never fail to spark a little joy in me, but they also sometimes truly remind me of my struggles with mental health.

For those of you who also struggle with these, here are some helpful tips that I use or plan on using, to help myself stay in a happy and healthy headspace this holiday season.

Schedule time to check in on yourself. Recognize that this is a hard time and find the time to check on your mental health.

Monitor your stress levels. Take note of the situations where you feel stressed and find activities such as walks or watching a show to calm down. Of course this isn't easy when you are surrounded by family members, so maybe a game on your phone or a walk with a family member could be an option!

Practice gratitude. Remind yourself of everything that you have to be thankful for in order to ground yourself. For me, I like to remind myself how lucky I am to be alive and healthy and to be surrounded by friends and family who love and support me (although do cause me unnecessary stress sometimes).

Remind yourself to breathe. Most of the time, taking a second to focus on your breathing is enough to calm someone down and get rid of "sticky" thoughts.

Pull back if you need to. If at any point you become overwhelmed, it is perfectly acceptable to excuse yourself and take a step back. In fact, it's encouraged. You don't want to lose it in front of family members, instead you should appear calm and composed.

Talk to love ones. You don't have to silently struggle during these times. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member and ask for help! Sometimes talking it out can make one feel better.

Don't abandon your healthy habits. The holidays should NOT be a free for all, stick to the habits that you worked hard to create, and remind yourself that there will be waaaayyyy brighter days ahead.

Good luck everyone, and if you are struggling this holiday season, please don't hesitate to reach out!