Struggling With Holiday Stress? Strategies to Protect Your Mental Health in December

Whether it’s family gatherings, shopping expeditions, or unexpected work celebrations, the holidays can make it tough to stick with healthy habits and routines. This is especially true for those with mental health issues.

However, a manageable schedule, realistic expectations, and some preventive self-care may be precisely what you need to prevent holiday stress from affecting your mental and physical health and recovery goals.

Our team at Magnolia Medical Center in Denver and Wheat Ridge, Colorado, believes in holiday joy. This kind replenishes rather than drains your energy, self-motivation, and sense of peace.

We recommend trying these strategies to safeguard your mental health in December:

1. Set realistic expectations

The holidays are often portrayed as a perfect time filled with happiness and connection. You’ve probably heard it before and may fall for it every year, but reality usually differs.

Family dynamics, financial stress, and even loneliness can weigh heavily. Adjust your expectations to focus on the often messy but potentially lovely truth rather than perfection.

For instance, you may not have the large, close-knit family television commercials portray. However, volunteering at a local hospital or charity can offer meaningful holiday connections.

Your kids may fuss and fidget at the thought of a low-cost, homestyle holiday movie night. But add some budget-friendly treats and a later-than-usual bedtime, and you might create a new favorite tradition.  

Siblings, cousins, and parents may never appreciate your creativity or life views. These differences often pop up during holiday feasts, when everyone is stuck at the same table.

An after-dinner (solo or group) walk on a December evening can clear away the tensions of a shared holiday meal.   

The goal is to create expectations based on your current reality rather than what advertisers insist create a perfect holiday.

2. Take care of you

Practice healthy self-care before, during, and after the holidays:

• Maintain consistent sleeping, eating, and exercise habits
• Attend regular therapy sessions or recovery meetings
• Create an escape plan for challenging social situations
• Decline invitations to events that might compromise your emotional health or sobriety
• Give yourself the grace to feel and process emotions without judgment
• Set healthy boundaries and communicate your needs
• Be transparent with family and friends about your recovery journey
• Have a trusted person you can call if you're feeling vulnerable
• Spend time with those who respect and support your recovery
• Bring your non-alcoholic beverages to gatherings
• Invite along a trusted, sober ally who is familiar with recovery

Take charge of your journey by identifying holiday-specific stressors, such as family conflicts or financial strain, and create a healthy plan to counter them before the season’s celebrations begin.   

3. Stay connected

Now is not the time to stand alone. Whether you’re new to recovery or have been sober for years, our team at Magnolia Medical Center can help you develop a plan for success.

For instance, you may benefit from a pre-holiday check-in and review of healthy self-care. We make scheduling convenient with online booking services and telehealth visits. We also offer Sunday through Friday appointments and in-person individual counseling or peer group experiences.

Our care is comprehensive, delivered with compassion, and personalized to meet your needs. Services include medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorder, dual diagnosis treatment, and therapy for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD).

Don’t let the holidays spoil your joy. We can help. Schedule a visit at Magnolia Medical Center today. Call the office or reach out online.