There’s always a lot going on during the holiday season. Whether you’re planning to travel out of town to spend time with family, hosting events, getting your shopping done, or cooking – it always seems impossible to get everything done. While the holidays are meant to be a time of joy, celebrating accomplishments throughout the year, and thankfulness, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all there is to do. So, it’s vital to keep your mental health during the holidays a priority. Fortunately, there are some good tips and tricks you can use to do so more easily.

Set and Maintain Healthy Boundaries

One important thing to remember during the holiday season is to set and maintain healthy boundaries. When you set boundaries with others and yourself, you are less likely to become so overwhelmed because you won’t be overloading your schedule and triggering yourself to utilize unhealthy behaviors in order to cope. Some examples of healthy boundaries you can set during the holiday season include:

• not being afraid to say “no”
• keeping yourself away from triggering environments (for example, bars, parties with alcohol, situations that include toxic/abusive people, etc.)
• maintaining the use of healthy behaviors and thought patterns learned throughout treatment

Maintaining boundaries doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person, it means that you will do everything you can to keep yourself safe and keep your mental health a priority. The people who love you will understand and respect the boundaries you keep. So, don’t apologize or feel bad when there are things that you can’t or won’t due in order to keep your boundaries maintained this holiday season.

Make Sure Your Holiday Schedule Includes Only Things That are Conducive to Your Mental Wellbeing

It can be challenging to tell people that you don’t want to be a part of their holiday festivities. But, if there are things or people that you need to avoid in order to maintain your mental health, then don’t be afraid to decline invitations. The holiday season should be filled with things that you enjoy and also things that don’t trigger mental health decline. So, even if you’re a little uncomfortable with something, tell yourself that it is okay to stay home and wrap gifts rather than go to a holiday gathering you’re unsure of. It’s better to spend time in a safe environment than put yourself in a situation that you can’t get out of or that triggers you to utilize unhealthy behaviors or thinking patterns. So, keep yourself safe and only put things in your holiday schedule that you are comfortable with when it comes to your mental health.

Reach Out to Help if You Need It

Even if you only participate in holiday events or gatherings that you’re comfortable with, you still may feel your mental health wavering. When this happens, it’s important not to feel bad about reaching out for help. This can include calling or visiting a friend who understands what you’re dealing with. Or, reaching out to a sponsor. If you don’t have these types of support in your life or you still feel your mental health slipping even after reaching out to support, you can always get the help you need at a mental health treatment facility like Yellowbrick.

Yellowbrick offers support to young adults who are struggling with mental health issues during the holiday season. If you or a loved one are in need of support, find out more about our mental health services from our website. And, reach out to us for a consultation today.