Managing Holiday Stress

This is the year for you to relax a little more and enjoy all of the varied joys that can be had during the holiday season.

The points of importance:

  • Let go of certain social expectations. Letting go of expectations may give you the chance to redefine celebrations more in line with your own true beliefs.
  • Self-care and charity are vital to reduce stress levels.
  • A short-term therapy program via an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help ease excess stress.

New traditions help to ensure the authentic celebration of the holidays

The holiday season can be stressful. For some, it could be a time of intense struggles in the field of mental health. Any person who is concerned about their mental health should seek help from their doctors or mental health specialists.

Holiday tensions are not a clinical issue. They can occur in any ordinary healthy individual. S.A.D. plays a part in this. Of course, there are many other causes of the winter blues as well — such as cabin fever, and it’s all right to feel blue.

1. Make a Plan to Visit Family

An obligation-based mindset is often the reason that people spend the majority of their holiday with people whose company they don’t truly appreciate.

In the worst case, families could be prone to regress to the old ways of dysfunction, or even abuse. If this is the case, the presence of unwanted contact over a long period can lead to an unpleasant holiday. Set some boundaries for your family. These could include decision-making, not just regarding the people you will spend time with.

2. Have Friendsgiving/ Friendsmas Get-Togethers

Limiting the holiday contact may be helpful to some — others may need to ramp-up during the holiday opportunity. Broadening one’s circle of celebration to include various people is conducive to good mental health. In addition, the demands of the 21st century have caused many to redefine the definition of family.

Your friends may be as much a part of your family as your bios are, and they will be invited to family gatherings. Or you may choose to have a separate holiday celebration with a  selected group. This is an ideal opportunity to come up with new ways to celebrate traditions. The event can be personalized to the needs of those who attend.  “Friendsgiving” and “Friendsmas” are handy.

3. Do self-care

Proper eating habits, good sleep habits, and engaging in hobbies often get pushed aside. The result is a poor self-image.  Self-neglect lowers the capacity to handle the added stressors that come with the holiday season.

The growing body of evidence supports the need for this method, and the amount of effective treatments continues to grow. Online experts are accessible for anyone who wants to know more about.

4. Take care of others

A proper amount of shifting the focus and consideration for other people can result in greater enjoyment during the holiday season. The positive benefits of volunteerism and other forms of charity are well-documented. An act like reading to children could be extremely beneficial.

The emotional well-being of adults increases with readings.  It is positive to refocus one’s attention on others. (instead of oneself, if done without harming the individual’s joy) The steps appear more feasible and tangible.

5. Ignore Social Media

The social media impact is well documented. People are negatively impacted. The public’s awareness of the negative impact of social media on our well-being is beginning to grow.  Whistleblower stories and media exposures increase public awareness. There are many reasons for this negative effect. One reason is the habit of participating in “what-ifs” through looking at their lives in comparison to the carefully selected images shared by other people.

6. Forgetting how one “Should” Feel

Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert has revealed a myriad of intriguing aspects of the way that the brain creates happiness. One of the main conclusions of his research is that humans have no clue about the things that make us content.

The desire to see one’s ideal life is harmful and sterile. It’s highly unlikely that an alternative reality could have brought greater happiness. Concentrating on thankfulness for the good things that exist in life has tremendous psychological benefits.

7. Seek Advice

A mental health problem isn’t the sole reason to seek out counseling. It’s hard to imagine a person who doesn’t benefit from having an opportunity to discuss their feelings openly. This is a reason why the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is extremely useful.

8. Workers can use EAP to relieve holiday stress

Employers sometimes offer counseling sessions in their EAP benefit that typically does not require an employee to have a diagnosed illness or to go through medical insurance to get payment approval.

The methods used to deliver counseling services are evolving. They include the advent of online therapy websites catering to clients from various locations, and numerous therapists providing services through video conferencing.

Image Credit: Rodnae Productions; Pexels; Thank you!