“Close your eyes and imagine happy moments in your life. That is what I wish for you: Happy moments.”

 

 

 

For many people, the holiday season—including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other celebrations—can be both stressful and relaxing. It is possible to take care of our mental health during the holidays. In this post, I share five strategies that can help.

 

In a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (2023), nearly half (49%) of the participating adults reported experiencing moderate stress levels during the holiday season from November to January.

 

Among those surveyed, two out of five (41%) said their stress increased during this time of year. While an increase in stress during the season is common, for 43% of people, it interferes with their ability to enjoy the holidays.

 

Some of the most common sources of holiday stress include:

 

• • Overloaded schedules

 

• • Financial difficulties

 

• • Pressure to give gifts or host special events

 

• • Grief or nostalgia for absent loved ones

 

• • Family relationship conflicts

 

• • Physical health concerns (such as alcohol consumption, diet) and mental health issues

 

• • Unhealthy belief patterns, expectations, or comparisons

 

Impact of the Holidays on Health

 

A literature review by López-Naranjo and colleagues shows how psychological stress can trigger various gastrointestinal, immune, and cardiovascular conditions.

 

Although stress levels may rise during the holiday season, we can approach this time in ways that support our emotional and physical well-being. Studies indicate that spending time engaging in activities that strengthen relationships and connect us with traditions can be beneficial for our physical, emotional, and mental health. Managing the holiday season in a healthy way can help with both short- and long-term stress management.

 

How to Manage Stress During the Holidays and Take Care of Our Mental Health: 5 Strategies

 

1. 1. Make time for yourself. Engage in activities you enjoy that keep you in the present moment, help you recharge, and allow you to focus on what brings you joy and gratitude.

 

1. 1. Review and choose your list of values and principles as a guide for leading a healthy lifestyle. Commit to thinking and acting in alignment with your values during the holiday season.

 

1. 1. Set priorities. Identify what you want and can realistically achieve during the holidays, and make necessary adjustments based on your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial resources. If you don’t feel like celebrating, honor your feelings. At the same time, respect that others, even those close to you, may choose to celebrate.

 

1. 1. Be open to discussing what you value about the season and how you practice it. When you share your values and principles with important people in your life, you may receive different responses or reactions. If you’re concerned that this may lead to conflict, focus on the common ground you share during the holidays.

 

1. 1. Seek support from someone you trust or a professional. Talking about your thoughts and feelings during the holidays can help reduce stress and provide insight into other healthy ways to care for your mental health during this time.

 

It is possible that the sources of holiday stress (such as financial concerns, family conflicts, grief, health issues, etc.) may exceed your available coping resources. Mental health professionals are trained to offer strategies to help reduce stress and make adjustments for a healthier lifestyle. If during this holiday season you experience emotional distress and feel unable to manage it alone, consider reaching out to a mental health professional.

 

If you’d like to learn more about these and other topics that could support your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, follow me, share this post, and thank you!

 

References:

 

American Psychological Association. (2023, November 30). Even a joyous holiday season can cause stress for most Americans [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/11/holiday-season-stress

 

El poder de los rituales ¿Por qué nos ayudan a sentirnos mejor? (2021, 14 febrero). https://belenpicadopsicologia.com/poder-rituales/

 

López-Naranjo, F., Córdova-Moreno, R., & Heyerdahl-Viau, I. (2023). Brief review of pathophysiological disorders as consequence of psychological stress. Interacciones, 9, e327. https://dx.doi.org/10.24016/2023.v9.327

 

¿Las relaciones sociales afectan nuestra salud? Los Institutos Nacionales de Salud (2017, marzo). NIH Noticias de salud, Artículo destacado. https://salud.nih.gov/recursos-de-salud/nih-noticias-de-salud/las-relaciones-sociales-afectan-nuestra-salud

 

Paéz, D., Bilbao, M.A., Bobowik, M., Campos, M., y Basabe, N. (2011). ¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo! El impacto de los rituales de Navidad en el bienestar subjetivo y en el clima emocional familiar. Revista de Psicología Social, 26 (3), pp. 0-0

 

Pagán-Torres, O. El impacto de la religión y la espiritualidad en la salud mental (2017, 11 de noviembre). En

 

Psyciencia, Investigaciones https://www.psyciencia.com/el-impacto-de-la-religion-y-la-espiritualidad-en-la-salud-mental/

 

In therapy, I sometimes receive questions that require me to reveal something about myself. Some questions I cannot answer for ethical and professional reasons, but if they serve the person’s well-being, I allow myself to respond. Recently, at the end of a therapy session, someone asked me: How do you manage stress? This question inspired this post.

The tools I use and teach in therapy are the same ones I apply for my own well-being. How could I support others if I don’t practice them myself? What I implement personally and in my services is based on studies and professional experience.

The Importance of Managing Stress

There are different types of stress. In this post, the focus is on the stress we face when dealing with life’s challenges. A literature review describes stress as an increase in effort by an individual to maintain personal and environmental balance in response to external or internal factors (Naranjo Pereira, 2009).

Stress is a necessary part of the human experience, and both its absence and excess can lead to illness. That is why it is important to learn how to manage it in a healthy way.

“Toolbox” for Healthy Stress Management

This toolbox is filled with what works for me. It includes alternatives that vary in difficulty and time commitment. Here’s a brief description of the tools I use:

1. Self-assessment and recalibration: From time to time, I identify my sources of stress and how they manifest in me so I can make adjustments that help me manage them in a healthy way.
2. Emotional regulation: I take time to acknowledge and experience my emotions, then release them through breathing exercises, journaling my thoughts and feelings, connecting with nature or my support group. I also practice art therapy. In particular, I create mandalas to give my mind a break from stress and to help me achieve my goals. In Mandalas para Activarte, I explain how to use this tool.
3. Taking care of my body: I have a set of exercises that I practice to relieve muscle tension, energize myself, or promote relaxation, which I can do on the floor, in a chair, or standing. I pay attention to my eating and sleeping patterns and how they relate to my stress levels.
4. Setting boundaries: I avoid falling into thought and behavior patterns that I know increase my stress. For example, when writing, I become very focused, and if I don’t set limits, I won’t stop to stretch or eat. The consequences negatively impact my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Ignoring my own limits doesn’t work for me because recovering takes days, reducing my ability to complete tasks (and increasing my stress).
5. Being present: I talk to myself. When I notice I’m having stressful thoughts, I tell myself to stop. Whether I do this out loud or in silence, I use the moment to reflect on what I’m thinking, why it matters, and what I can do for my well-being.
6. Monitoring myself: I keep a calendar to track significant events, lifestyle changes, bodily changes, and nature’s rhythms to identify possible connections between them and my stress levels.
7. Focusing and motivating myself: I choose words, phrases, and images as “reminders” to practice what works for me, reinforcing new thought and behavior patterns. Since I enjoy crafts, I create these reminders as an art therapy practice and place them in daily-accessible spots. Every so often, I assess whether what I chose still serves me because what worked in the past may not be effective now.
8. Balance: I strive for balance in my life. Achieving a balance between my professional work and personal life is a dynamic process involving several elements: self-awareness, healthy stress and emotion management, resilience, effective communication, honoring personal agreements, collaboration, and building connections with others. This balance, which fosters human potential and harmonious coexistence in family, work, community, and educational settings, is the focus of the Vive FAMtástico workshop.
9. Emotional self-regulation: I use technology to relax by consciously selecting the content I consume. I keep an updated list of readings, movies, videos, songs, or music that help me reflect on and process my emotions.
10. Self-care: At least once a day, I give myself a dose of love by engaging in any activity I’m passionate about.

There are different “toolboxes,” and it helps to create your own. How do you manage stress in a healthy way? If you’re unsure of your answer, consult a mental health professional to help you develop healthy stress management strategies.

If you’d like to read more about these and other topics that support physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, follow me, share this post, and thank you!

References:
Naranjo Pereira, María Luisa (2009). Una revisión teórica sobre el estrés y algunos aspectos relevantes de este en el ámbito educativo. Revista Educación 33(2), 171-190-42, ISSN: 0379-7082.

Campenni, C. E., & Hartman, A. (2019). The Effects of Completing Mandalas on Mood, Anxiety, and State Mindfulness. Art Therapy, 37(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2019.1669980