Therapists Predict How The Holidays Will Affect Our Mental Health

Therapists Predict How The Holidays Will Affect Our Mental Health
Posted on Dec 09 2020
HuffPost

While many people look forward to the holiday months, the “most wonderful time of the year” does not come without its fair share of stressful situations. From family to finances, this season can trigger anxiousness for some people, and exacerbate existing mental health issues. “Holidays are usually a hard time for some people, and part of that is the expectations and advertisement of these idyllic happy families. [This year] you have a higher amount of anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use that’s happening even before the holidays begin,” Ken Duckworth, CMO at NAMI, told HuffPost. Duckworth said that people tend to become more anxious with unknowns, because that’s the “body’s response to uncertainty.” Notably, a main concern experts share is that more people will be socially distancing or quarantining during this typically celebratory season, contributing to greater feelings of isolation. “I think of resilience as coping strategies and strengths that you already have to overcome adversity. The ability to withstand stress is a kind of resilience,” Duckworth said. “You may experience more anxiety, more isolation, more sadness. Those things are true, but what can you do to work against them?” Of course, resilience looks different for every individual. It’s invaluable to cultivate feelings of social connectedness whether through joining online support groups, attending virtual gatherings, or even finding ways to be in nature.