MERRY CHRISTMAS

Holiday Mental Health: Merriment When You Don’t Feel Merry

Do you hate the holidays? The holiday season affects mental health. All the merriment can increase a sense of depression, anxiety, and isolation. Festivities can exacerbate the stresses and symptoms of eating disorders. In general, the people, sights, smells, and sounds can be overwhelming for almost anyone living with a mental illness.
The holiday season is here, wanted or unwanted, but you do have some control (Manage Your Mental Illness Through the Holidays). You can choose to deal with the merriment in a way that works for you even when you don't feel merry. Try these suggestions to aid your mental health through the holiday season:

• Let time be on your side. If you must go to a merry place but don't want to, tell the host that you can only stay for a while. Knowing that you can leave at a set time can help you endure.
• Busy yourself. Do crowds or small talk make you anxious? Distance yourself by staying busy doing something other than mingle.
• Be selective. Chose one or two events to attend, and then politely decline other invitations.
• Make yourself merry. If you don't have holiday festivities in your life, be merry for yourself. Pamper yourself, do what you love, and create a gratitude list.

Holidays do take a toll on mental health. Even if you don't feel merry, there are ways to tolerate the merriment of the season.

Related Articles Dealing with Mental Health and the Holidays

• Mental Health Relapse and Family During the Holidays
• Do’s and Don’ts to Avoid Holiday Depression
• PTSD: The Holiday Season’s Unwelcome Guest
• Dealing with Bipolar at the Holidays — Expectations
• How to Enjoy the Holidays with Your Mentally Ill Loved One

REMEMBER OTHERS CAN INFLUENCE YOUR MOODS AND FEELINGS BUT ONLY YOU CAN REACT TO THEM. WE ONLY HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR REACTIONS.