Top 5 Ways to Survive the Holidays

Hello Friends!

Just wanted to wish everyone a beautiful, happy holiday season. We hope you enjoy this time.

However, even when we love the holidays, they can be an incredibly stressful time. The pressures of hosting or attending family gatherings, buying presents, arranging travel, and/or tolerating your annoying uncle can be exhausting. Here are some strategies for getting through:

1)      If your relatives are wonderful people who you love spending time with, that’s fantastic and you should feel fortunate. However, if your relatives are toxic or triggering, you can decide to spend the holidays with your chosen family, who are the people in your life who understand, love, and support you.

2)      Realize that it is ok to take care of yourself. If you can’t afford to fly home, don’t. If you have hosted the big family gathering every year for the past 5 years and you don’t feel up to it this year, it’s ok to tell everyone that you can’t do it. You are not being selfish by having boundaries and protecting your finances and your mental health.

3)      Get lots of sleep. Plan to go to bed a little earlier and sleep a little later if possible. Stress wears your body and brain down, and sleep helps them repair themselves.

4)      Eat regular, frequent, healthy meals with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Try eating 6 meals per day instead of 3. This will help keep your blood sugar even and your energy up, so you won’t get “hangry” or eat the entire buffet.

5)      Take breaks to get outside. If too much togetherness is making you feel claustrophobic, take time to go for a walk by yourself to get some fresh air, move your body, and get away.

For some people, the holidays are not just stressful, they are sources or reminders of trauma, bringing up a lot of very negative emotion. If you are having a really difficult time, please seek care from a mental health professional. We would love to help! You can call 303-736-9697 to schedule an appointment, or go to owlandeaglehealth.com and click on the Make an Appointment button on the homepage.

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or anyone else, please call one of the following hotlines, or call 911, or go to your nearest Emergency Room.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255

Transgender Lifeline 1-877-565-8860

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357)