221 - Friday Fix: 10 Ways to Stay Mentally Strong During the Holidays

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s called “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for many people, the holidays aren’t joy-filled. In fact, this time of year can be extra tough in many ways. The holidays can amplify existing issues, like loneliness. They create a lot of stress, including financial strain, for many people. Sprinkle in some family tension, grief, and end of the year deadlines, and it’s a recipe for higher rates of distress. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to stay mentally strong throughout the holidays. Here are 10 things you can do this year to manage your mental health and reduce your stress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:48.7	Okay. You're listening to the Friday fix. Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that can help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can hold you back in life.
0:53.1	Today I'm talking about how to stay mentally strong during the holidays.
0:57.6	A study by NAMI, which is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, found that 64% of people
1:04.2	with a mental illness say that their symptoms get worse around the holidays.
1:09.1	That study, though, was from 2014. I suspect that in a post-COVID world,
1:14.7	that number's probably even higher. Other studies show that our stress levels go up this time of year,
1:20.3	but most of you don't need a study to tell you that. You feel it firsthand, and you definitely
1:25.0	see it in other people. My therapy office has always gotten extra busy this time of year.
1:30.7	New clients call trying to schedule appointments.
1:33.3	Former clients will call trying to come back into therapy.
1:36.7	And many of our existing clients will say that they feel worse during the holidays.
1:40.7	And I've certainly felt this myself when I lost my mom and then I lost my husband.
1:46.1	I wasn't really sure how to celebrate the holidays or who to spend it with or what to do.
1:50.6	And it was really rough.
1:52.5	The holidays have definitely never felt the same even now than they did once upon a time.
1:58.8	I wanted to learn, though, more about what you were all struggling with this
2:02.6	year. So on Instagram, I asked, what made the holidays tough? And you all certainly answered.
2:08.7	I was flooded with answers, but I noticed that they all seemed to fall into the same categories.
2:14.3	Here's what you said made this time of year the most difficult. Productivity. Some people said
2:20.4	that as the year winds down, it's really hard to focus on work, and it's that time of year when
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