Managing mental health over the festive period

Christmas is a busy and demanding time of year, and so many things can be disrupted by the change of pace that Christmas brings. The pressure to socialise is overwhelming and overindulging in food or drink can have an impact on more than just your bank balance.

Worried about getting everything done in time for Christmas? We’ve listed a few tips that can help you stay on top of everything over the holidays.

Don’t Overindulge

Overindulging in food during Christmas is often expected of us, but you don’t have to. A healthy and stable diet ensures your mood remains stable, as well as preventing irritability. This overindulgence can cause us to want to lose weight in the new year, piling even more pressure on ourselves and causing more stress in the long run.

Stay Active

Staying active and keeping your body healthy can also keep your mind healthy when it is at risk. This could be by going the gym as you would normally, or even spend some time on festive walks with your loved ones. Staying active means that you can benefit from experiencing reduced anxiety, decreased depression and improved self-esteem.

Sleep

Sleep patterns can be disturbed at Christmas, despite the time we may have off of work. Spending time with those around you and the party season can catch up with you, and you can end up partying late into the night. A good night’s sleep can make vast improvements to your general mental health.

Stay in touch with those around you

If your feeling out of touch with those important people in your life, give them a call. It can be hard to see people face to face, but that isn’t the only option. If you have grown disconnected, Christmas is the perfect time to send a card or email to someone you love. If you are worried, words of advice from those around you can be very comforting, sometime talking things through is a great way to feel supported, and less isolated.

Help Out

Doing nice things at this time of year is a great way to make yourself feel good, as well as someone else. Why not spend time volunteering for a local charity or helping a member of your family who might need support? You can make ‘doing good’ a part of your life all year round.

Try and relax

It’s okay to take time out for yourself, especially when we’re often surrounded by people at this time of year. Entertaining droves of people can be a struggle, but you can help yourself out by trying to relax and do only what you want to.  

If you are struggling with mental health this festive season, try and take some of our advice. You can also visit https://www.mind.org.uk/ for more information.