How To Manage Your Mental Health During The Holidays

Learning how to manage your mental health during the holidays can be a struggle. This is an exciting time of year, but can also be challenging as we try to deal with how we feel and react during this time. It is important to remember that how you are feeling is always valid. If you want to make your holidays a little easier, here are 5 easy tips that will help:

1) Avoid social media during the holidays if it’s going to upset you.

Social media can be a great way to keep up with how our loved ones are doing during the holidays, but it can also make us feel down if we see that everyone else is having a better time than we are; at least we assume they are. If you’re going through some tough times this holiday season, consider avoiding social media altogether or at least limiting how much time you spend on those sites.

It can be easy to compare your life with how others portray theirs on Instagram or Facebook, but the truth is that it doesn’t always reflect reality. If you find yourself feeling sad or angry about how someone else is celebrating, take a break from social media and focus on what’s going well in your life.

2) Remember how blessed you really are.

If you are struggling with how your life is going right now, take a step back and remember how blessed you really are. When we feel like our lives aren’t perfect it can be easy to forget how fortunate we truly are just by existing in the world today.

I think we can all agree that how grateful and appreciative we are for the things in our lives goes a long way to helping us manage our emotions. Even if it’s hard, make an effort to remember how blessed you really are when life starts feeling difficult this time of year. When you are feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and remind yourself how lucky you are to have all the things that bring you joy.

Remembering how blessed we truly are can go a long way towards helping us feel more positive during the holidays.

3) Remember that it’s okay not to feel happy all the time.

It’s okay not to feel happy this time of year, and there is no shame in how you are feeling. If your emotions are taking over or if you find yourself struggling with how things are going at home for example, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. There is no reason why we should go through the holidays alone when it comes to managing our mental health.

Don’t let fear hold you back from asking for help when life feels overwhelming during the holiday season – that’s what support networks like friends and family exist for! Just remember how important it is to take care of yourself so you can continue being there when others need support throughout their lives too.

Remembering how much people truly do want us around can be helpful when it comes to how we feel during the holidays.

One of the most common reasons why people struggle with how they are feeling this time of year is due to how others react around us. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, take a step back and remember that how others act isn’t about you – it’s about them. Don’t let their actions or words hurt your feelings because life will go on whether or not they decide to change how they behave overnight.

Remembering that our emotions aren’t always at the whim of how other people treat us can help make things easier for us during these next few weeks.

Focus on what makes YOU happy instead! Remember that your happiness doesn’t have an expiration date either.

4) Acknowledge when you’re not feeling okay.

Being able to recognize how you are feeling is the first step towards being okay. If you find yourself struggling, don’t be afraid to take time for self-care this season by acknowledging how you feel and allowing yourself some downtime.

When we have a difficult day or week during the holiday season it’s important that we allow ourselves the opportunity to take some time to focus on how we are feeling. This is how we learn how to take care of ourselves.

It is important to remember how it’s okay not to feel good all the time. Everyone has their ups and downs during the holidays, so allow yourself some space in your schedule when you need it most.

How you are feeling is always valid. Don’t let other people make you feel guilty. Everyone processes emotions differently during the holidays.

5) Practice deep breathing exercises.

Deep breathing is one of the easiest ways to manage how you are feeling. It helps to calm our body and mind, which can in turn help us feel better about how we’re doing through this time of year.

Getting away from all the busyness during your day for even five minutes will make a huge difference when it comes to how you manage your mental during the holidays. Whether it’s taking ten deep breaths at your desk or practicing yoga before bed, getting into good habits like these will go far towards keeping your mental health in check.

It only takes a few minutes for these amazing benefits to take place. Take some time each morning or night to focus on your mental health with simple breathing exercises that’ll make all the difference by keeping stress levels low throughout the season.

6) Rest.

Rest is how we recharge. Without it, the holidays can be very difficult to navigate emotionally and physically. Learning how to rest will make all the difference when it comes to managing your mental health. If you are struggling with how you feel or what you need, don’t hesitate to reach out for help before things get worse.

The best way forward is learning how to take care of yourself first by allowing some self-care in your day whenever possible; even if it’s just a little bit here and there.

7) Create a plan to manage the triggers that are causing you stress.

The holidays can be filled with triggers for some people, especially those who have experienced trauma or loss. If the idea of holiday gatherings is triggering some unpleasant emotions in you, it’s okay to pass on them this year and instead create a plan that will help manage how you feel when these situations arise.

It doesn’t need to be perfect; simply put your mind at ease by knowing what steps to take next time something happens so that you stay grounded throughout whatever situation comes up even if it isn’t ideal. When you get better at knowing how to manage your stress during the holidays, it makes any other day that much easier.

8) Talk about your feelings instead of bottling up your emotions or acting out on them.

It’s important to be honest with how you’re feeling. Let others know how much this time of year means to you and how difficult it can feel when things don’t go as planned or expected, but also let them know that if they see your emotions escalating, they should not take it personally or get upset about what is happening.

This will help create an environment where you are able to make the healthiest choices possible without worrying too much about how someone else might perceive you for doing so. It will ultimately allow everyone around you to breathe easier knowing that there is nothing more going on than just a little bit of stress—it’s normal during the holidays!

9) Take care of yourself – sleep well, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly and seek therapy if needed.

Developing these healthy habits is how we take care of ourselves. It’s how we learn how to manage our mental health without having it negatively affect how much time we have for others during this season. Take the steps you need to keep yourself sane, even as everything around us starts spiraling out of control!

The holidays can be a very stressful time for many people; but by taking some simple steps towards managing your stress levels and learning how to relax when things get too crazy, you’ll find that they don’t have quite so large an impact on your emotions or feelings after all!

Now that you’ve learned some simple tips on how to manage your mental health during the holidays, what are some next steps you can take for keeping these tips in mind? What will make all the difference is how you decide to look after yourself each day during this busy season. So, what are some ways that you plan on taking care of yourself so that the holidays remain enjoyable and manageable?

Let me know in the comments

XOXO

Andie