Hanging on to Your Mental Health During the Holidays

It's time for Christmas carols in the grocery store. As one famous song we hear this time of year goes, "It's the most wonderful time of the year."

That sentence is true for many people, but it is also one of the most stressful times of the year for others.

The stress and pressure of the holidays

We have Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years packed into each other. There are enough celebrations in that list to cause even extroverts to want to spend an evening at home with a book and bath bomb.

What gets to me most this time of year is the weight of expectations I feel. There are expectations to attend parties, attend events, buy presents, socialize way more than I'm comfortable doing, spend way more on going out, buy gifts for hosts, present exchanges, Secret Santas, etc. All those expectations weigh heavily upon me.

Don't get me wrong, Christmas is my favorite holiday, but I love spending it alone at home with my husband, with our small artificial Charlie Brown Christmas tree with a small blanket around its base and one single red bulb.

How I manage my schizophrenia during the holidays

If the holidays cause you stress and threaten your carefully attended-to mental health, here are a few tips to relieve some of the pressure, financial and otherwise.

Going gift-free to avoid financial stress

First, if you worry about spending too much this time of year and putting too much debt on your credit card, be the first to suggest going gift-free.

My family has been gift-free for decades now, and it not only keeps me from the pressure to try and think of a gift that someone will want and not regift to someone else, but it frees me from having to deal with a credit card payment that could take me until the following year to pay off.

My close-knit friends have also decided to go gift-free in the past 5 years. I still want to buy gifts for a few people, but when I only have two or 3 people on my list, that is much more manageable financially, and it causes me far less stress.

Saying no to holiday gatherings

Another tip for reducing stress is to limit how many parties, dinners, brunches, and events you can reasonably attend. I never know when my symptoms of schizophrenia or anxiety are going to be at their worst, and I frequently cancel plans, which causes people to be disappointed and sometimes irritated with me.

I can limit this frustration for everyone if I only plan to attend a few events or dinners during the season. Sending an RSVP to a limited number of parties decreases the likelihood of having to cancel, reducing my stress significantly.

Planning downtime

One thing that is essential to my well-being is to plan lots of downtime. Let's face it – things are way busier in November, December, and January. Planning times just for me to binge-watch a comfort show, read a book, or sit and connect with my husband. Or, if you have pets, spending time with your pet can help you recharge and give you the energy you need for the next party, event, or social gathering.

Managing my schizophrenia – but also having fun

Two last things: one is to enjoy yourself. Most of the things during the season are fun and not intended to be stressful. So try to relax and do everything your way, ignore other people's expectations, and lastly, give yourself the grace to sleep more, have more alone time, and spend more time on self-care than you might usually need.