The Holiday Season: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is the holiday season is upon us. The bad news is the holiday season is upon us. It’s a joyous time for family and good cheer. It’s also a relentless time of commercialism, overbearing family members and demands on our time. Stress increases for all of us, especially moms with young children who are expected to make the holiday season “perfect” for their loved ones. Whether it’s the perfect stuffing, the perfect Chanukkah Menorah or Christmas tree…the pressure builds as the daylight dwindles.   Fortunately, while some stress is inevitable, we can strategize and deal with the stress and make the holiday season enjoyable.

Mental Health is an essential part of each person’s overall health and wellness. In fact, you cannot have good health without mental health. At times, such as the holidays we all face challenges that test and put our mental health at risk. When our mental health is compromised, it affects our entire body and aggravates existing medical conditions or even causes new ones.

Everyone feels stress. In small doses, stress may be good for you when it gives you a burst of energy. But too much stress or stress that lasts for a long time can take its toll on your body. Stress can make you feel run down, sad, nervous, angry or irritable. It can cause headaches, muscle tension, upset stomach, nausea, dizziness or feelings of despair, and may cause you to eat more or eat less than normal. In the long-term, stress can raise your risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and reproductive problems and weaken your body’s ability to fight disease. It can also raise your risk of depression, which may in turn contribute to heart disease and diabetes. In addition, stress can make it harder for you to recover from a heart attack or keep your diabetes in check. So managing your stress is very important.

When we’re trying to manage life’s stressors, how we deal with these pressures can positively or negatively impact our mental health and our overall health and well-being. Finding healthy ways to manage life’s challenges can lower the risk of mental health as well as other health problems and also help you feel better in general. Here are some ideas to think about:

1. Connect with others. You don’t have to cope with stress or the holidays on your own. Talking to a trusted friend, “fellow sufferer” (many are overwhelmed by the holidays!) or family member can make you feel better. Spending time with positive, loving people you care about and trust can ease your stress and improve your mood.
2. Set limits. You cannot be all things to all people. ‘No’ is a perfectly acceptable answer. Do your children really need to visit FAO Schwartz? Does your mother-in law really need to spend two weeks with you? Does the tree really need to be 14-feet high? Maybe the answer is yes, but sometime’s it needs to be no. And maybe the answer is yes to some and no to others. We all have our limits.
3. Exercise. Exercising relives our tense muscles, improves our mood and sleep, and increases our energy and strength. In fact, researchers say that exercise eases symptoms of anxiety and depression. You don’t have to be a varsity athlete to get the benefits of activity. Try taking a brisk walk!
4. Get enough rest. Getting enough sleep helps us recover from the demands of the day. Appropriate sleep improves our energy and mental acuity. As an extra benefit, appropriate sleep helps us keep the weight off. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Lack of sleep puts our physical and mental well being at risk.
5. Get involved in spiritual activities. Studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health. Spirituality may provide a sense of hope, meaning and purpose in life, a way to understand suffering and illness, and a connection with others. These things are important all year round, but especially during the holiday season.
6. Moderation. Many of us tend to drink too much or, in my case, overeat during the holidays. In fact, there is great societal pressure to over indulge. Every year I remind myself (or try to) that Thanksgiving dinner is a single meal, not a five-day eating and sports watching marathon.

The above are just a few tips to manage the stress of the holiday season. None are a panacea or a “magic bullet”. They can, however, help us to relax and focus on what is important to ourselves and our families. For more information, please contact the Mental Health Association of Essex County, Inc. at 973-509-9777 or reach us on-line at www.mhaessex.org. You can also check out our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter (@MHAEssex).