Heading into the holiday season, it’s important to have strategies in place to protect your mental health and emotional well-being. Here are some tips from the Canadian Mental Health Association for ensuring balance for a more enjoyable festive season.

For most people, the holidays are a time of great joy and time spent with family. However, for others, it can be quite lonely.

“No matter which holiday you celebrate, it is definitely a time of togetherness and relationships, but we need to understand that not everybody has that,” said Tasha Collins, Program Director with the Weyburn CMHA. “Sometimes that loneliness and isolation can become a cause for concern for people over the holidays.”

She added that some people are lonely because they have lost their spouse or other family members.

“It can be difficult to move through the holiday season remembering those who we’ve lost,” she said.

A good approach is to acknowledge this holiday season won’t be the same, but it does provide an opportunity to create new traditions as a way to keep your loved one’s memory alive. It’s also important to spend time with supportive and caring people who understand what you’re experiencing.

Ways to avoid loneliness during the holidays include hobbies, joining groups that ensure planned interactions. Volunteering with a non-profit can help build up confidence and self-esteem. It’s also a good idea to attend free holiday activities happening in the community.

Inviting those people to Christmas dinner could help them make it through. For those who know they’ll have a hard time, they could consider joining the JAMS Family Christmas Dinner, which is being served at 1:00 p.m. at Knox Hall free of charge or by donation.

Another way to reduce stress during the holidays is to stick to a budget and not over-committing.

“Keeping in mind, regardless of whether we’re buying presents or food, or travelling, understanding that there may be a budget that we need to stick to,” said Collins. “We just want to make sure that people are understanding that they should watch about over-committing to different experiences or putting too many expectations on oneself.”

During the holidays, many people spend time with family, even if it isn't enjoyable. For some, the obligatory get-togethers can lead to anxiety and panic attacks.

Collins said boundaries are important.

“Not everybody gets along with everybody in their family,” she said. “There could be personality conflicts, so just keeping in mind that we need to put boundaries in place, so that we may not be put in a situation where we have to do things that we may not want to do.”

She said tips include just staying one night with family, rather than a whole weekend. Choose one family to visit each holiday, instead of trying to see everyone and please them all. Stay a few hours instead of a whole day when visiting friends.

Throughout the holiday party season, there can be too much of a good thing, and it's called overindulgence.

“We’re not necessarily as active and during the holiday season, typically there’s more opportunity to eat rich food and maybe consuming alcohol and different things like that, and sometimes that can lead to feelings of guilt or shame,” she said.

Suggestions for combating the sluggishness and depression that can result from too many sweets and not enough veggies includes planning physical activity right into your holiday schedule. Another is to be gentle with yourself and understand your goal is to limit, not eliminate the fun entirely.

Throughout the winter months, the lack of sunlight can lead some to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder.

“We wake up in the dark, and then we go home from work in the dark, and there’s really something to be said for keeping yourself active, and not isolating,” explained Collins. “Some of those symptoms of SAD are that tiredness, and depressive mood and irritability and things like that.”

Collins said doing a year-end reflection and reflecting on things that have happened over the year can help to put things into perspective.

However you approach the season, remember to pause and reflect on another year, good or bad, and count up all the things you're grateful for. If it helps, write it down as a celebration, or write it down and burn it (carefully). Be mindful of what may be a trigger for your anxiety and what might be good for you, even if it takes stepping outside your comfort zone. Making the best of it can only bring more joy, which is what the holidays are all about.

More tips can be found HERE.