The holidays can be a joyous time filled with celebrations, but they can also bring unique challenges. Holiday family stress often peaks around Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holiday gatherings, potentially impacting our mental well-being.
The pressures of gift-giving, travel, reunions, and diverse opinions can lead to a range of emotions during the holidays. Many people feel pressure to create the perfect holiday experience for their loved ones, which can trigger stress and anxiety.
Whether you’re looking for tips on how to handle family conflict and holiday stress or general advice, these mental health tips for the holidays can help make this season more peaceful.
Understanding Holiday Family Stress and Mental Health
Understanding common stressors can help you prepare and manage your mental health during the holidays. For many, family gatherings can bring unresolved conflicts to the surface or reignite old tensions. You might also be navigating post-election opinions or coordinating who is hosting this year’s family meal.
Whichever the case, becoming aware of your triggers and thought patterns while implementing these helpful tools can help you better respond to common holiday stressors.
7 Practical Tips on How to Deal with Holiday Family Stress
Below are seven practical mental health tips for the holidays to help you navigate family dynamics and this season.
1. Know Your Triggers
Understanding your emotional triggers and how holidays affect mental health can be one of the most powerful ways to manage seasonal stress. Knowing what sets off these feelings can help you prepare and better control your reaction.
Reflect on what situations, topics, or behaviors have caused stress in the past and develop a plan to respond. This might mean stepping away for a quick breather, changing the subject, or politely setting boundaries. Being aware of your triggers can help you stay grounded during the holidays and navigate family gatherings with a sense of control and peace.
Alcohol may also be a specific trigger for some, so limiting alcohol or removing yourself from situations where friends and family members are overconsuming can help mitigate stress and minimize the risk of arguments.
2. Limit Time With “Toxic” Relatives
Often, family stress at Christmas and other December holidays can begin with particular family members that get under your skin. If this is the case for you, limit your time or interactions with them. This could mean staying for just part of a gathering or meeting in a group setting where you can pivot and engage in other conversations or activities happening.
You can also plan an exit strategy ahead of time, such as using a code word, in case you’re feeling triggered or overstimulated and need to signal to someone that it’s time to leave.
3. Give Yourself Permission to Decline
During the time of Christmas and Thanksgiving, mental health challenges can arise if you say yes to everyone’s wishes while compromising your own needs. You don’t have to attend every event or gathering, even if a friend or loved one presses you to come over. Declining some invitations can provide you with more time to relax and do activities that you enjoy around the holidays.
4. Take a Break From Social Media
Social media can amplify feelings of lack or inadequacy, especially when seeing others post updates on vacations, special life milestones, and extravagant gifts, which may cause you to compare your holiday to theirs. Taking a social media break during the holiday season can help reduce anxiety.
5. Prioritize Mental Wellness During the Holidays
Did you know that just ten minutes a day dedicated to relaxation can help you feel more grounded and less affected by holiday family stress? Self-care practices like meditation, exercise, and exploring new hobbies can boost your mental health over Christmas and other winter holidays.
6. Seek Professional Support and Guidance
Another way to manage family dynamics and your mental health around the holidays is by attending regular therapy sessions. Speaking with a trained professional provides a safe space to explore the emotions and triggers that arise around family gatherings, helping you build new strategies for handling stress in healthier ways.
Therapy can also provide tools for setting boundaries, navigating difficult conversations, and finding grounding techniques to stay calm during tense moments. Whether you seek support year-round or just during the holiday season, therapy can be a powerful aid in managing your mental health.
7. Plan Activities That Encourage Bonding
Playing holiday games or planning fun Thanksgiving mental health activities that engage the whole family can encourage bonding and foster a positive atmosphere.
Choose inclusive games that people of all ages can enjoy. Light-hearted board games or card games can bring out smiles, laughter, and a little friendly competition, which helps everyone relax and engage with each other.
Family Stress at Christmas: Food and Financial Resources
Many families experience financial hardship and struggle to make ends meet around the holidays. The added expense of gift-giving and wanting to make the holidays special for loved ones can impact your mental well-being. Making a budget for gifts and committing to not exceeding that allowance can help you maintain more control over your finances.
If your family is struggling with food or financial instability, there are many community resources and programs available to help you navigate these tough times. These include state energy assistance programs, eviction prevention programs, food resources, and holiday programs that help furnish gifts for eligible children.
Local libraries and government entities often have lists of community resources available near you; otherwise, a quick Google search of resources in your city can help you get started. We all get by with a little support from others, so don’t feel guilty if you need to utilize a public resource—it’s what it’s there for!
Taking Care of You
Holidays and mental health often have a complex relationship. Remember to be gentle with yourself, set boundaries, and take proactive steps to maintain your mental wellness.
At the Associated Clinic of Psychology, our dedicated team supports you through life’s most difficult moments. Whether you’re facing the loss of a loved one or seeking ongoing guidance for your mental health, we’re here to listen and help you find a path forward. Fill out the contact form below to get started.
