Rural Mental Health
How to Manage Mental Health Challenges During the Holidays
The holidays can be a joyful time of celebrating with family and friends. But they can also bring additional responsibilities and expectations, such as planning and attending social gatherings, buying gifts, and organizing family events. These added pressures can increase stress levels and be particularly overwhelming for individuals struggling with mental health challenges.
For people living in rural America, these challenges can be even greater: Residents of rural communities experience higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to urban residents and face multiple barriers to accessing mental healthcare, including a shortage of mental healthcare providers in their communities.
Understanding Holiday Stressors That Can Impact Your Mental Health
As the holiday season approaches, it’s important to identify and understand some of the major stressors that can have a negative effect on your mental health:
Financial Strain
The holidays are often associated with increased spending on gifts, decorations, travel, and social events. For individuals experiencing financial difficulties, this can increase anxiety and depression, leading to feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy.
Social Isolation and Loneliness
While the holidays are typically portrayed as a time for togetherness and celebration, many individuals with mental health issues may find themselves feeling isolated or lonely during this period. They might lack social support networks, have strained relationships with family or friends, or have experienced losses that are magnified during the holiday season.
Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
The holiday season can be a trigger to engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as excessive alcohol or substance use, overeating, or overspending. Though these behaviors can provide temporary relief, they can have detrimental effects on mental health in the long run.
Unmet Expectations
The holiday season often comes with idealized expectations of happiness and joyful family gatherings. These expectations can create a sense of disappointment, inadequacy, and self-criticism if reality doesn’t align with the ideals.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
For many people living in rural America, the holiday season coincides with the winter season – including reduced sunlight and colder weather. This can contribute to the development or worsening of SAD, which is a type of depression that’s related to the change of seasons, typically starting in the fall and continuing into the winter months.
10 Tips to Help You Manage Mental Health Challenges During the Holidays
What can you do to confront the mental health challenges that often accompany the holiday season? Here are 10 ways to help you cope:
Prioritize Self-Care
Prioritize activities that promote your mental well-being, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation, and maintaining a balanced diet.
Set Realistic Expectations
Manage your expectations during the holiday season by focusing on what is truly important and letting go of the pressure to meet societal or family expectations.
Plan and Manage Stress
Reduce your stress by prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities, and setting boundaries to avoid becoming overwhelmed. It can also be helpful to practice stress management techniques, such as deep breathing exercises or meditation.
Seek Support
Reach out for support from trusted friends, family members, or mental health professionals. Connect with others who may be experiencing similar challenges for validation and understanding. Online support groups or helplines can also be valuable resources.
Practice Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Engage in healthy coping mechanisms, such as hobbies or other activities you find enjoyable, mindfulness or relaxation techniques, and journaling. And avoid relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms like excessive alcohol or substance use.
Create a Support Network
Identify individuals you trust and can contact to provide support during difficult times – including friends and family, a therapist, or a support group.
Focus on Gratitude and Meaning
Demonstrate gratitude by engaging in acts of kindness or finding ways to give back to the community. Shifting the focus from materialistic aspects to more meaningful experiences can help improve overall well-being.
Connect with Nature
Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. Go for a walk or simply spend time in your own backyard.
Exercise Regularly
Engaging in physical activity, such as walking, jogging, or practicing yoga, can have a positive impact on mental health.
Seek Professional Help
If mental health challenges become overwhelming during the holidays, it may be necessary to seek professional help. Reach out to a mental health professional who can provide appropriate support or intervention.
Click here to download and share a PDF of the “10 Tips to Help You Manage Mental Health Challenges During the Holidays.”Click here to visit the Rural Minds webpage for “Harvesting Hope This Holiday Season.”
If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, call 988.
If this is a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code for the national suicide and crisis lifeline. People can now call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org if they are in crisis or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support, which can include having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
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