Submitted by: Dr. Lorraine Graves, PhD, LCSW

As we are in the holiday season and approaching a much needed break, I wanted to leave you with a few wellness tips:

• Emotional Wellness – the holidays can bring up a mixture of feelings ranging from negative to positive. All feelings whether good or bad are a part of the human experience. The key is not to push them away but allow yourself time to feel them and process them. For example:
  • If you need to cry because you miss a love one, it’s okay, go ahead and cry and then think about a way you can do something to honor their memory.
  • If you are feeling stressed because you are hosting Christmas dinner at your house, solicit help from family and friends, break down tasks into smaller parts, try not to wait to go shopping until the last minute so that it is not too overwhelming.
  • If the holiday triggers painful memories, reach out to your counselor or myself, to work through, you do not have to deal with it alone.

Now let’s talk about the positive emotions, laugh a lot, try to find one or more things you are grateful for on a daily basis, show appreciation to those around you, embrace feelings of love, enjoy the moment – the past is gone and tomorrow has not come yet.

• Physical Wellness – making time to exercise and eat healthy is difficult during the holiday season/break. Try to do little things to promote physical health, such as park far away from stores, take a walk around the neighborhood, walk up and down stairs, walk around the mall. Plan your meals, know what you are going to eat each day, this will help you to manage when you will have the “not healthy foods”.
• Financial Wellness – holidays should be enjoyable not strain you financially. Stick to a budget, you do not want to increase stress and guilt by overspending. Communicate honestly with others on what you can do this year, it is okay if you cannot buy a gift for everyone. Try to find other affordable ways to celebrate the holidays with your love ones (i.e. secret Santa, group gifts, homemade gifts (favorite snack jars, baking treats (cookies, cakes)).
• Occupational Wellness – holidays tend to be a busy time in the helping profession, remember to practice self-care, check-in with team mates, and do something as a team to celebrate the holiday and the end of the year. Also, you get approximately two weeks away from work, enjoy the time away. Please if at all possible, leave work at work and pick it back up in January.
• Environmental Wellness – The holidays also gives you time to spruce up your homes. This can be done by putting up holiday decorations or just getting to that cleaning and remodeling you have been too busy to complete.
• Social Wellness – Enjoy the time with your family and friends. Use this time to catch up with friends via phone or in person. Manage expectations for your love ones. Stay positive. Limit social media usage, if it will trigger unpleasant emotions.
• Intellectual Wellness – During your break, find new things to stimulate your mind. Read the book that you have not been able to get to, learn a new hobby, try a new recipe, play a new game.
• Spiritual Wellness –As we approach the end of 2022, engage in self-reflection. Make time to journal (writing or audio record) on what went well and what did not go well. Do not beat yourself up for what did not go well, that is not the point of this exercise. Celebrate what went well and learn from what did not go well. We cannot change or control anyone else, therefore, this reflection should solely be based on you. What changes do you need to make to enhance your wellness in 2023?

Resources:

If you or your love one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 to be connected to a crisis counselor. Available 24 hours, 7 days a week (including holidays).

For more wellness tips for the holidays, visit Compsych Guidance Resources or download App using the QR code and Web ID below:

Web ID: CN3906K