By Kellie McClain
The holiday season is filled with joy and happiness, spent with loved family members, peaceful quality time, and all around humbleness,
gratefulness, and best wishes for everyone. So it seems as displayed
by the media and popular culture. However, this is not always the case, and if
you feel this description is far from accurate in terms of your personal
experience, you are not alone. The holidays bring about stress and mixed
emotions for everyone, but can have an especially detrimental effect on those
with preexisting mental illness.
This does not mean that there is no joy to be experienced by such individuals. There are strategies which they and their families can
implement to provide a supportive, healthy environment without making an already
difficult disorder even harder to handle. Below are several disorders which may
be directly affected by the environments brought on by the holiday season,
including tips to navigate your way to a healthy, happy holiday experience.
Depressive Disorders: With the exception of bipolar
disorder, depressive disorders involve a non-subsiding state of depression accompanied
by depressive thoughts that occur regardless of the situation. Depressive thoughts and
moods are especially prominent during this time because of the high frequency
of Seasonal Effective Disorder, a depressive disorder caused by changes in
seasons, during the fall and winter seasons. This can pose as a large issue
during the holidays because being around family members you haven’t seen in a
while might bring about suppressed feelings or disappointing memories. It may put
you in a mental state similar to where you were in past negative situations.
The most important things to keep in mind in these
situations is to keep as best you can to your regular schedule, spend time with
those who truly love and care for you, and focus on the present day rather than
the past and consistently reminding yourself who you are now and how far you’ve
come. This will build up resistance to potential feelings of increased
depression and allow you get happiness and enjoyment out of holiday season.
Anxiety Disorders: It is not abnormal for holiday gatherings
and preparation to bring an immense amount of stress on everyone involved,
since this time of year brings a condensed amount of special occasions to plan
and attend in a short period of time. Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder,
social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, or obsessive compulsive
disorder may feel specifically effected by holiday related stress.
Some ways to cope with the impending feelings of stress and
anxiety include planning and executing everything in moderation and to avoid
having an ideal vision of the ‘perfect holiday’ because such expectations are
impossible to reach. It is important to accept that there may be issues and
difficult encounters within the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. For
those who experience anxiety in social situations, be sure to surround yourself
with those who truly care and are sensitive to your needs. Try to put as little
pressure on yourself as you can with being happy and joyous throughout each
holiday experience. The less pressure you are under to find enjoyment, the more
likely you are to find it naturally.
Alcoholism: Holiday gatherings bring about intense
temptation for those recovering from alcohol addiction and may make it
especially difficult for them to stay on track with their path to recovery. If
you are a recovering alcoholic who wantst to be able to avoid relapse over the
holidays and still be able to spend time with family it is crucial to focus on
what the holiday gatherings are truly about and why they are important to you
personally. Keep your focus away from the temptation of alcohol by always
staying in conversation, take part in other things you may enjoy such as
helping out around the house and catching up with distant friends and family. This
will help you to get the most out of your holiday experience as well as refrain
from a destructive path.
Eating Disorders: For those recovering from various eating
disorders, the holidays may bring a time of anxiety, depression, and relapse of
the road to recovery, rather than a time of joyous family gatherings. In order
to avoid straying from the road to recovery and to prevent possible conflicts,
it is highly suggested to have a set plan tailored to your specific needs and
concerns that you think will best help you avoid holiday related issues in
regards to your disorder. You must also place strong attention to what you
value most and focus highly on relationships between those with whom you are sharing
the holidays. Try viewing the holiday season in a broader context in terms
of what is important to you and your family, as this helps with keeping the
focus away from the disorder itself.
If feelings associated with these disorders persist to an
extended amount despite the implementation of the above strategies, consulting
a psychologist may be helpful in the process of coping. He or she can assist
with identifying the core problems you are experiencing and developing
successful plans of action from a professional perspective. Keep in mind that
the holidays should be seen as a time to enhance your psychological well-being
and being able to overcome such intense situations will mean a large
improvement with your disorder and hope for future improvement.
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