Dohertys Creek Newsletter

Mental Health and the Festive Season

Mental Health and the Festive Season

 

The festive season can be challenging. Feelings of excitement and happiness can be accompanied by fatigue and stress. Family difficulties can become prominent, and facing shopping crowds and the financial burden of the season can induce anxious feelings. Perceived pressures to find the perfect gift and attend social functions can add to feelings of worry and stress. For some families the festive season can be a lonely and sad time, or induce feelings of grief and loss regarding departed loved ones.

 

Strategies for coping this festive season:

  1. Prioritise sleep, rest and relaxing activities
  2. Resist overindulging (in both food and alcohol)
  3. Maintain physical care and exercise routines
  4. Decide on a realistic budget and adhere to the limit
  5. Take five minutes to create a personal self-care plan (ideas below) and implement it throughout December and into 2022

 

Ideas for creating your own secret, realistic and personal self-care plan:

 

WORK

  • Set limits on your workload (for example, leave/stop on time, or not take work “home”)
  • Engage in a Professional Development session for inspiration
  • Keep a reflective journal (for example, give each date a coloured circle or sticker as a two second "traffic light" reflection)

PHYSICAL

  • Set a cardio/weights/stretching goal (for example, two minutes of “bed stretching” each morning before getting up)
  • Set a sleep goal (for example, take four “box breaths” before expecting your body and mind to settle into sleep)
  • Set a healthy food goal (for example, eat an apple each day)

 

 

 

SPIRITUAL

  • Look at the big picture, step back and keep things in perspective
  • Take a nature walk around the block to ground yourself
  • Listen to music

PSYCHOLOGICAL

  • Have realistic expectations
  • Be with pets
  • Use positive self-talk

EMOTIONAL

  • Write down three good things from the day, each night
  • Timetable self-care into your week
  • Build into life real time to relax, exercise and have recreation

RELATIONSHIP

  • Talk with someone about your feelings
  • See friends outside of work
  • Arrive and leave work on time
  • Lower expectations of yourself and others