The holidays are seen as a time of fun and excitement, a time to relax and recuperate so you can go into the new year with a fresh mind and body. But sometimes, the holidays can end up being stressful and mentally taxing.
You’re not doing yourself any favors by putting your mental health in the backseat just because it’s the holidays. Here are some ways to avoid the notorious “holiday slump” while still making the most of your time off!
Keep It Simple
The holidays are a time for you to spend time with your family, enjoy their company, and build memories. You can’t do this if you’re running around to buy things or spending hours slaving away in the kitchen. You’ll be too exhausted to even enjoy the fruits of your labor by the end of the day!
So, remember to take it easy. Who cares if the cookies you baked aren’t perfectly iced – or if they’re storebought, even? All that matters is that they were enjoyed!
Don’t Spend More Than You Can Afford
Thanks to the over-commercialization of the holidays, you may feel pressured to buy your loved ones expensive gifts or throw an elaborate Christmas feast or fancy New Year’s party. But this can be detrimental to your bank account if you’re already struggling financially. Thankfully, you can still make the holidays special without getting yourself into debt!
Be honest about how much you can spend. If your friends and family truly love you, they’ll understand your financial situation. Instead of spending money on them, you can gift them your love and care. You can do this by spending time with them, or doing something for them that they need help with. Or you can give them a DIY gift, like some baked goods or something that you made if you’re crafty like that. It’ll be all the more special because of the effort that went into it!
Don’t Feel Obligated
The majority of the stress that surrounds the holidays is the feeling of obligation. You’re so busy doing things because you think that’s what needs to be done that you forget to enjoy yourself. Stop that!
Your house doesn’t have to be decked from door to wall with decorations and not every single thing on your Christmas table needs to be homemade. Be honest with yourself and decide what you want to do to make the most of the holidays – not what you feel like you need to do.
Keep Away from Social Media
Again, with everything being so commercialized, nothing you do ever seems good enough. No matter how many presents you buy, how well you decorate your house, or how many yummy dishes you cook – it seems like someone else always does something better.
Social media is the biggest driver behind that crummy feeling. Try and put your phone away and spend time enjoying real life with your family. And if you can’t stay away – just remember that people only share the best moments of their day, and most of the time, the pictures and videos you see on social media are staged, carefully cropped, edited, and so on.
Prioritize Your Mental Health
Just because your therapist taking some time off doesn’t mean you should ignore your mental health. In fact, a lot of people tend to face an increase in anxiety and depression during the holidays. There may be a number of reasons why people stress out during this time, from financial struggles to relationship problems.
Identifying these triggers will go a long way in helping you prepare to handle them efficiently. For instance, one of the biggest stressors that people have during the holidays is facing their family or certain family members. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t have to spend time with “loved ones” who are toxic just because they’re blood!
