Stress, depression and anxiety can ruin the holidays - and sabotage your mental health. Met with an assortment of responsibilities from entertaining to gift-purchasing, it’s no surprise that many people struggle with increased emotional distress during the holidays. 

While you may feel these emotions even more this year due to COVID-19, your mental health comes first. Explore our top tips for keeping your mental health top of mind during the holidays:

1. Take control

It’s normal to say “yes” to every holiday invitation, potluck, gift-giving scenario and more. But you have a budget, time and sanity to keep in check. Rather than agreeing to every invitation: be pragmatic. Assess how much budget you want to allocate to the holiday season, including hostess gifts, gift-exchange parties and potluck dinners. Let’s face it: the expenses add it. Don’t feel guilty for saying no to spending too much money. Instead, think of creative ways to give back to various scenarios: provide homemade gifts, donate to a charity in someone’s name, or donate your time (vs. money) to an organization.

Aside from assessing a budget, plan ahead. Set aside specific days to shop, cook, or have personal time. Consider if online shopping or catering may be a feasible option for saving time and energy. Also consider COVID and the health of your family, of course it would be nice to get together, and I know virtual get together are getting exhausting, however there are some resources that have made it more feasible and more fun. Websites such as www.elfster.com allow you to do secret Santa and practice social distancing so you’re keeping your budget and social distancing into account.

2. Stick to healthy habits

While holidays may be the season of over-indulgence, stick to healthy habits that will always make you feel good, such as daily exercise, healthy meals, and plenty of sleep. Try a new healthy routine, such as meditation or journaling, to keep mental health in check. And while news channels and social media are avenues of information, be mindful that too much consumption can wreak havoc on your holiday perspective. After all, not everything in the world is doom and gloom. 

I’d suggest using resources like www.headspace.com as a tool to help you meditate and sleep, as mentioned earlier there needs to be to be time for some movement in your life and on Youtube there is a library of free workout classes, I personally recommend something like Yoga with Adriene www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene .

3.Make time for yourself

This is always challenging since the holiday season is filled with family and friends. And while we always love being with them, it’s important to take time out for yourself and have some alone time. Read a book, journal, exercise, go for a walk, listen to music. Whatever it is - do it alone, without distractions or excessive noise. 

This Holiday season will be feeling different since the time together might look different, AND it's still okay to take space for yourself. If you have emotional reactions that come up, don’t forget you can always reach out for support. Here at WellMinded we want to support you through this unprecedented time.