Checking in on your Mental Health during the Holidays!
With Thanksgiving just over and the December holiday season right around the corner, people often choice to put mental health aside and focus on family and friends. While they are super important, mental health should always come first. We always see a spike in depression and other mental health related issues during these holiday months. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health which is why it’s so important that we take time to check in with ourselves, especially during stressful times or whenever we start to feel burned out. Here are a few ways in which we can check in with our mental health.
Recognize how you’re feeling physically.
Is your heart rate slow?
Are you clenching your jaw?
Is there a tightness in your chest?
Are your shoulders relaxed?
When we are stressed out, this can present itself physically, even if we are not aware of the stress. Check in with your body and see how you are doing physically.
Check in with you physical and emotional needs by asking yourself:
HOW:
How am I feeling today?
How do I feel about myself right now?
How can I be more gentle to myself?
WHAT:
What do I need in this moment?
What are my emotional needs right now?
What’s taking up most of my headspace?
DO:
Do I feel safe emotionally?
Do I know what my body needs right now?
Do I feel safe physically right now?
Identify any problems that could be weighing you down by asking yourself:
What am I holding onto that is no longer serving me?
Did something happen that made me feel a specific way?
What can I do to change the way I feel?
What am I tired of? What can I do about it?
Am I an active participant of toxicity in my own life?
Am I spending too much time on social media and not enough time checked into the real world?
What can I let go of that’s getting in the way of my health and well-being?
Would it help me if I contacted a professional that could help me feel better?
Only you know the true answers to these questions, so be honest with yourself.
Name what you feel & allow yourself to fully feel.
Name the emotion you’re feeling (You can look up a list of negative emotions online by Googling “List of negative emotions”). Next, identify where exactly you feel it in your body. Once you have done that, place your hand where you feel that emotion. Take deep breaths as if you were breathing directly into the emotion. Try to understand the emotion by digging deeper into it: “I feel anxious because….”. Normalize your emotion: “It makes sense to feel this way because…”. Give yourself compassion for realizing this difficult emotion. Move your body to release the energy.
Lean into the 5 types of rest:
Physical:
Physical rest is important in order to heal, recharge, and relieve any stress.
Mental:
Our mental health is critical to our overall health- take time to rest mentally.
Social:
Overstimulation from being around other’s can be draining.
Creative:
The more rested we are overall, the more creative our brain will be.
Emotional:
Emotional rest is important so we don’t experience emotional exhaust.
Be kind to yourself.
Directing kindness inward is an act of self-compassion. One of the best ways we can be kind to ourselves is giving ourselves permission to be:
………………Be imperfect * Be sad * Be happy * Be emotional………………
If you find yourself being self-critical when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, stop and ask yourself if you would talk this way to a friend or a loved one who expressed their mental state to you. Would you be this harsh on them? If the answer is no, then next ask yourself why you’re treating yourself this way.
Mental Health Resources:
Crisis Text Line:
Text HOME to 741741
Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
800–273–8255
The NAMI Helpline:
800–950-NAMI
Postpartum Support Intl.
800–944–4773
The Trevor Project
Text START to 678678
National Hopeline Network
800–442–46733
Veteran Crisis Line
800–442–4673
Disaster Distress Line
800–985–5990
Mental Health America
Text MHA to 741741
Trans Lifeline
The philosopher Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” This is good advice, but even better if you apply that advice while looking in the mirror.
