Holidays and Mental Health
November and December are right around the corner! However you celebrate these upcoming holiday seasons, there are ways to prioritize your mental health and emotional wellbeing. While we may participate in celebration and remembrance with our loved ones, family, friends, and/or community, our own needs can quickly and easily become overlooked. Let’s take a look at some tips and reflection questions that may help you stay in the forefront of your holiday plans.
Let’s consider boundaries—we have physical, mental, emotional, material, and time/energy needs and limits that serve us. These are healthy and normal to have! Take some time to reflect how these might come into play over the holidays and how you can honor your boundaries…
Physical: What forms of touch and closeness are you comfortable participating in? What comments about appearance or sexuality are you willing to accept? Do COVID-19 considerations come into play for you here? Will you be traveling?
Boundary Statements: “I prefer not to hug anyone today”, “I don’t feel comfortable with comments about my appearance and would prefer if we talk about something else”, “Please respect my decision to wear a mask and maintain social distancing".
Mental: Freedom to have your own thoughts, beliefs, values, and opinions.
Boundary Statements: “I respect your opinion, and I disagree”, “I understand it is important for you to participate in [xyz], but I’m going to sit out this year”, “My belief/opinion/etc. has changed on this topic, would you like to hear how?”.
Emotional: How would you like your emotions communicated/addressed? What emotional topics are you willing to discuss or connect with others on?
Boundary Statements: “This isn’t a topic I’m willing to discuss”, “I’m feeling [xyz] about what you said, can I tell you how it affected me?”, “I appreciate you telling me about [xyz], could we continue talking about it another time?”.
A Note on Emotions: It is normal to experience overwhelming emotions around the holidays—perhaps joy, peace, loneliness, grief, depression, overwhelm, anxiousness, sensitivity, etc. Let’s work together to identify these feelings and emotions and practice self-care and self-soothing.
Material: What gifts would you be willing to give or receive? What personal possessions would you be willing to share or lend?
Boundary Statements: “Thank you for thinking of me, but I can’t accept this gift”, “I am not able to participate in gift sharing this year, can we find something else meaningful to do together?”, “I am not able to give you a ride to [xyz], is there someone else you can consider asking?”.
Time/energy: What time are you willing to spend with others or at events? How will you know when your mind and body are approaching their max before replenishing them or participating in self care?
Boundary Statements: “I’ve enjoyed spending this time with you, and it’s time for me to go take care of a few things”, “I will be able to spend [x] hours with you all today before I have to go”, “I may need to step away from this conversation for a moment and go outside”, “I would like to spend more personal time with you, is that something you’d be up for?”.
Let’s talk about how boundaries look for you these holiday seasons. They may differ from person-to-person, or event-to-event. It is a time to celebrate which includes the most important aspect—YOU!
Contact me at (512) 222-9792 or info@insightfulmindtherapy.com to ask any questions or schedule a meeting. I look forward to helping you be your healthiest self these holidays and every day!
Well wishes,
Brittany Rettenmeier, MA, LPC-Associate, NCC
supervised by Ellen Melton, PhD, LPC-S