There is sure to be an extra layer of stress over the holidays this year. With a looming pandemic, lockdowns, and social distancing restrictions still in place, this holiday season will be like no other.

Instead of facing our typical stressors this time of year… many are saddened by the loss of not being able to gather and celebrate with their loved ones.

Below we have a few tips on how you can boost your mental health this season, despite what’s going on in the world around us.

1. Be aware of emotion-focused coping.
Avoid dealing with your stressors by doing things like shopping online excessively or ordering food online constantly. In the short term, it will provide you with relief, but it won’t actually solve what’s actually causing your stress. Instead, try reflecting on where your stress is coming from through actions like meditating, journaling, or talking and come up with solutions on how you can address your stressors in a healthy way.

2. Help others.
You can lighten your spirits, by making a difference in someone else’s life. One way of doing this is to donate to a local charity of your choice.

3. Stay connected with family and friends.
With the help of technology, you can call or video-chat with family and friends in order to feel more connected. Doing this on a regular basis will help you feel like you aren’t alone during the pandemic and that many people are feeling more stressed than usual. Setting aside time to do this will allow you to talk about how you’ve been coping or get ideas about how you could help manage your mental health better.

4. Reflect on resilience.
Typically, near the end of the year, people start to reflect on what they learned and think about the goals they want to set in the new year. This year has been challenging and instead of thinking “I just want this year to be over,” you could instead take the time to think about how the pandemic has changed you in order to inspire you in the new year. You could ask yourself questions like:

• What can I appreciate or be grateful for?

• What have I learned about myself?

• How have I learned to manage stress better?

• And so on…

References:
UBC

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