Hailey Friedman
Hailey Friedman is a San Francisco resident passionate about sharing tips and advice on health, wellness, and the best fitness services in San Francisco.
Holiday mental health statistics point to a concerning trend. Two in five adults in the United States say they experience higher stress levels during what’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Holiday stress can take its toll on mental health, triggering symptoms and leading people to experience anxiety and depression.
Despite the worrying picture these holiday mental health statistics paint, there are things you can do to help yourself get through the holidays. From setting boundaries with family to investing in small group personal training, here are things you can do to maintain your mental health during the holidays.
Tips to Manage Your Mental Health During the Holidays
If stress is getting you down and you want to boost your mental health during the holidays, try these tips.
1. Prioritize a Fitness Routine
Exercising isn’t just about getting fit, it’s a way to help stabilize your mental health. Being physically active triggers the release of feel-good chemicals, boosting mood and countering cortisol and other stress hormones. Consistently getting your heart rate up and breaking a sweat can even change your brain for the better, improve your sleep patterns, and strengthen your response to emotional and physical stress.
Although any kind of exercise is helpful, joining a gym can be particularly beneficial because it offers opportunities for socialization. When people are struggling with mental health during the holidays, it’s common for them to isolate themselves, often making symptoms worse. Joining a gym provides an opportunity to connect with others while boosting feel-good chemicals in the brain.
Getting outside for a workout is also a great option, as being in nature can improve your mood and reduce stress. Spending just an hour or two outside a day can make a big difference.
For those in San Francisco, Live Fit Gym offers a wide selection of fitness solutions, including personal training, Pilates, yoga, and boot camp classes, so you can add variety to your fitness routine. Combine your gym workouts with some of the best hikes and bike rides in San Francisco, and you’ll be prepared to beat holiday stress.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can greatly contribute to increased stress during the holidays. Nearly 30% of Americans state they get less sleep during the holidays. While the perfect amount of sleep is different for everyone, adults who sleep fewer than seven hours a night tend to battle higher anxiety levels and could potentially experience depressive symptoms.
Not getting enough sleep can cause structural changes in the brain, affecting how it functions and impacting decision-making and emotional regulation. Add that on top of the holiday stress you already feel, and you could easily start struggling with your mental health.
To help yourself get through the holidays in a better mental state, take measures to get enough sleep. This can mean not overindulging in heavy foods or alcoholic drinks late in the evening and setting a firm bedtime.
3. Manage Expectations
Being surrounded by family and friends can be lovely, but such gatherings can also bring tension and conflict. Managing your expectations in such situations is essential.
Remember, as much as you may want the holidays to be perfect, they’re very likely not going to be, and that’s okay. By accepting this from the start, you’ll be better prepared for when things go wrong and negative situations won’t derail your holiday enjoyment.
4. Enjoy a Spa Day
When you’ve worked the whole year and finally have a few days to relax and recharge your batteries, take full advantage by scheduling a spa day for yourself. Pampering yourself with massages and facials can help your mental health. Massages, for example, can lower stress levels, reduce anxiety, and help you connect with your body.
For those of you in San Francisco, Live Fit Gym has the best masseuses in SF and offers acupuncture and day spa services to help you relax. Live Fit Gym has a variety of massages to choose from plus facials and waxing options that will leave you ready to face the rest of the holidays.
5. Set Boundaries
To maintain mental health during the holidays, it’s important to learn to say “no.” You don’t have to go to every get-together or have that extra drink because everyone else is. This is your chance to relax and unwind, so don’t be afraid to let people know if there’s something you’d rather not do.
It’s also crucial to set boundaries with yourself. For example, if you know that you shouldn’t stay up too late because it will impact your anxiety levels the next day, that’s a boundary you should hold firm for the sake of your well-being. But setting boundaries also means understanding your triggers. Does a certain conversation topic bring on anxiety? Does going to a particular location spike your stress levels? By being aware of these situations, you can take steps to protect your mental health.
6. Eat a Well-Balanced Diet
What you eat doesn’t just impact your weight; it can also affect how you feel. The holidays often mean having sugary and fatty foods available at all times, which can make sticking to a well-balanced diet tough. Consuming a diet high in sugars can increase depressive symptoms and make your anxiety worse.
Eating well-balanced meals allows your brain to get the nutrients it needs to function at its best. For strong mental health, you need your neurotransmitters to work efficiently. This can only happen if your brain is getting the right vitamins and minerals. Think of it like a car—you want to give it the fuel it requires to function correctly.
7. Try Activities With Friends
Spending time with friends and family is important for maintaining mental health during the holidays. Doing anything together can be helpful, but why not consider creative options like hiking? If you’re in San Francisco, for example, there are many great places to go hiking, allowing you to get outside for some fresh air while catching up with loved ones.
Another option that can get your heart pumping and your feel-good chemicals flowing is to take group workout classes. Live Fit Gym offers a wide range of workout classes in San Francisco, including strength training and conditioning. You and your friends can even sign up for a small group personal training session with some of SF’s best personal trainers.
8. Take Breaks
Although the holidays typically mean time off from work, many people end up doing more than they would do during the rest of the year. Traveling, preparing big meals, decorating the house, buying presents, and doing everything else the season calls for can be exhausting. Just knowing you have so much to do can overwhelm you and impact your mental health.
It’s vital that you take breaks when you need them. You don’t have to bake that extra batch of cookies or add that extra set of lights to your decorations if you really don’t feel like it. Having a clear idea of where your limits are can help you avoid stepping past them and sacrificing your mental health.
The same principle applies to spending time with family. Having a house full of cousins and distant relatives can be fun, but it can also become stressful. If you need to take time away from the festivities, do so. Spending half an hour on your own to work out or take a nap can help you achieve mental balance so you can return to the celebrations with enthusiasm.
9. Plan Ahead
During the holiday season, you may have to socialize with many people and do things that you may not otherwise do during the rest of the year. Such situations can cause significant stress and leave you struggling mentally. A way to help yourself better manage the holidays is to plan ahead so you’re ready with coping strategies when you face these challenging situations.
For example, if you’re trying not to drink because it impacts your mood, planning ahead of a party and having a reason ready as to why you don’t want to have that mug of eggnog can save you time. It can also save you from having to tell everyone about any mental health struggles you may have if you prefer to keep them to yourself.
10. Seek Support
Despite all the precautions and steps you’ve taken to improve your mental health during the holidays, sometimes it can all still get too tough to handle alone. If that’s the case, then getting support from mental health professionals can be helpful. A professional can guide you and help you take steps toward understanding why you’re struggling.
With all of the options available today, including telehealth services, you can easily get in touch with someone and start talking about what you’re dealing with. If you already have a therapist, schedule a session, even over the phone, to center yourself.
More About Mental Health During the Holidays
Let’s take a closer look at why your mental health may suffer during the holidays.
How Do the Holidays Affect Your Mental Health?
The holidays can all too often lead to an increase in anxiety and depression. The most common cause is financial pressure due to traveling and gift-buying. You may also have a strained relationship with family members, which can make the holidays uncomfortable and difficult to navigate. If you’ve recently suffered a breakup or a death in the family, you might be dealing with loneliness or grief over your loss as you remember previous holidays you shared with your loved one. Then there’s the challenge of dealing with unrealistic expectations — either yours or someone else’s.
Why Is Anxiety Worse During the Holidays?
The holidays mean gift-giving, traveling, and spending time with family. For many, all of these factors can cause anxiety during the holidays. For instance, if you’re struggling financially, needing to buy presents can spike your stress levels. Traveling doesn’t help, and neither does the obligation to be constantly upbeat around family members.
Why Do I Feel Overwhelmed During Holidays?
Feeling overwhelmed during the holidays can come from a combination of factors. There are the usual suspects of financial stress, difficult relationships with family members, disrupted routines, long to-do lists, and high expectations. Then there’s the added pressure to create the “perfect” holiday experience, which can quickly lead to feelings of anxiety and inadequacy if you’re not careful.
Prioritize Your Mental Health During the Holidays
This holiday season, nothing should take precedence over your mental and physical well-being. A great way of prioritizing both is to stay active. At one of the many Live Fit Gym locations in San Francisco, you can get the workouts you want while also enjoying access to spa services that can provide effective stress relief.
At Live Fit Gym, you can attend fun group classes or personal training sessions that get your heart pumping. Or, you can unwind after a long day with chiropractic services, a massage, SoftWave therapy, or acupuncture. Do you want to look refreshed for an upcoming holiday party? Live Fit Gym also offers waxing and facial services.
Start your free gym trial and experience the mood-lifting powers of staying active during the holidays.
