Taking Care of Your Mental Health This Holiday Season

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Taking Care of Your Mental Health This Holiday Season

In recovery, maintaining good mental health is crucial in order to avoid impulsivity and practice good decision-making. There are going to be days when your mental health is better than others due to different factors in life. Therefore, it’s important to continue to put in the work every day to make sure that your mental health is as strong as it can be no matter what circumstances arise. This is especially important during the holiday season

Not only is the holiday season a very busy time of year, but it’s also packed with more socialization. The holidays can also be a bittersweet time of year. No matter how busy you are this holiday season, be sure to take the time to care for your mental health. 

Understanding Why the Holiday Season Can Be Difficult 

Christmastime is often looked at as a season of joy and celebration. However, this isn’t always the case for everyone. For some people, the holiday season can be a bittersweet time of year. Perhaps, this is the first holiday season that someone is spending without a loved one. They might feel guilty taking part in the festivities, knowing that their loved one isn’t there to celebrate with them. Furthermore, the person may struggle to get into the holiday spirit at all because it just doesn’t feel the same. 

Other factors can contribute to difficulties during this time of year. For instance, someone might be going through a hard time financially, or maybe they had a falling out with a friend. These circumstances can prevent someone from being in the mood to celebrate. However, no matter what you feel as you enter the holiday season, remember that your feelings are valid. You never have to feel guilty. Make sure to give yourself time and grace to honor your emotions. 

Focus on Quality Over Quantity This Holiday Season

This holiday season you may find yourself looking at your calendar and feeling overwhelmed. You could be looking at a jam-packed schedule full of social obligations and other events. Before you make any decisions to attend, take the time to consider which of these events is going to mean the most to you and which ones might not be as important. For example, maybe you can pass on that work Christmas party in order to spend time with your family, whom you know are only going to be in town for a limited time. 

Moreover, instead of spending lots of time in a crowded store shopping for presents, you can order gifts online without having to feel rushed as Christmas draws near. This decision allows you to spend more time relaxing and actually living in the moment instead of thinking about all the things you still need to do. 

Remember to Focus on What You Can Control 

There can be a lot of stress associated with the holiday season and trying to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. Maybe you’re hosting a big party and expecting a lot of company. You may find yourself obsessing over every detail, trying to make sure that everything is perfect. Perhaps, you may have travel plans and are worried about delays or cancellations. All of this worrying can take the fun out of the holiday season. 

Instead of obsessing over all of the particulars, do your best to plan ahead and be prepared. After making preparations, accept the fact that you have done the best you can. You can’t control the future, so try to be flexible and go with the flow. If there is a problem along the way, it won’t be the end of the world. 

Make Sure to Spend Some Time With Yourself 

Some people are more introverted and can feel drained after spending a lot of time around other people. If this is your situation, make sure that you’re setting time aside when you can simply be by yourself. Don’t pack your schedule so full of events that you’re rushing from one thing to the next without any time to rest and recharge in between. Make sure that you have time periods that are kept open for you to spend however you would like. 

These time periods could be spent engaging in self-care. This involves doing anything necessary to help take care of your mental, physical and emotional well-being. 

An important part of self-care is taking care of your body by getting enough sleep, eating regularly, staying hydrated, and fitting in some form of exercise. Some other self-care ideas include: 

  • Taking a break from your phone 
  • Turning off the television 
  • Taking a nap 
  • Going for a walk
  • Practicing yoga or some other form of meditation
  • Reading a chapter of a book
  • Getting out into nature

When you’re in recovery, taking care of your mental health is very important. This is necessary to help promote good decision-making and avoid impulsive behavior. Taking care of your mental health is especially important during the holidays. The holiday season can be a very stressful and overwhelming time of year. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you’re focusing on quality rather than quantity when it comes to your social engagements. You’ll want to make sure to leave plenty of time for yourself to practice self-care. If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, our team At The Kimberly Center can help. Call (855) 452-3683 today to learn about the types of services we offer. 

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