People often describe the holiday season as “the most wonderful time of the year” filled with family, friends, celebrations, traditions, and good cheer. For some, though, the holiday season can bring increased stress and worsen physical and mental health condition, 64% reported their conditions worsens around the holidays.2
During the holiday season, it is especially important to practice self-care and find ways to reduce stress when possible. Here are a few ideas, from practicing gratitude to helping others to writing your thoughts and feelings down in a journal.
9 self-care tips to support your mental well-being during the holidays
1. Practice gratitude
Research shows that those who practice gratitude not only reduce their stress levels but also feel less pain, get better sleep, have stronger immune systems, experience healthier relationships, and perform better professionally.3 Gratitude has also been shown to motivate people to make healthier food choices.3 Gratitude can be practiced in a variety of ways.
- Create a “gratitude jar”—When you feel gratitude, write that experience down on a piece of paper and place it in the jar. Each month, pull out a few experiences to read and maybe share with others.
- Start a gratitude journal—every day write down at least 1 thing you were grateful for that day. It could be as simple as a beautiful flower, someone who smiled at you, or even getting out of bed.
2. Acknowledge your feelings
Every feeling you experience is valid. Give yourself permission to feel each feeling. You may experience opposing feelings, like grief and joy, during the holiday and that is okay. Using an
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