Maintaining our health and wellness during the holidays

Maintaining our mental health and wellness can be challenging — especially during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. During this time of year, it’s important that we prioritize our mental wellness and self-care so we can truly enjoy the holiday season.

To help you focus on your psychological, physical, emotional, and financial wellness, we’ve put together a few helpful tips!

Financial wellness

Overindulgence and overspending can be a huge point of stress during the holiday season. From picking the perfect gift, to celebrating with those around you and attending too many festive celebrations, financial stress levels can increase.  

To help keep this stress at bay, why not try:

• Making a list (and checking it twice!) Planning ahead can help you stay organized and on track before gift shopping.
• Be realistic about your holiday budget. Plan within your means and be realistic about how much you can spend.
• Get creative. Amazing gifts don’t have to break the bank! Consider making DIY gifts for loved ones this holiday season.

Managing stress

Managing stress is crucial for your mental health and wellbeing. This holiday season use these tips to stay jolly and energized:

• Ensure you get adequate sleep. Sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining healthy stress levels. Check-in with yourself and ensure that you are getting at least seven or more hours of sleep per night.
• Focus on gratitude. Practicing gratitude is wonderful for our stress levels as well as our relationships, our life satisfaction, and our overall health. You can control your reaction to any situation. If you’re feeling stressed this holiday season, try asking yourself what is one thing I am grateful for today? Or you could even begin to keep a gratitude journal!
• Prioritize your time. There are many gatherings and social events to attend during the festive season and it can be overwhelming to feel as though you must attend them all. Prioritize your time and acknowledge that it is okay to not attend every event.

Isolation and loneliness

• Be kind to yourself. It is okay to feel lonely over the holiday season. Be kind to yourself, acknowledge your feelings and know that it’s okay not to be okay.
• Reach out if you are struggling. If you’re struggling or having a hard time coping with loneliness during the holidays try talking to someone you know and trust, perhaps a family member or friend, or reach out for professional help.
• Connect with others. Stay connected to loved ones and your support system. Even if you do not have loved ones close by or are unable to travel to see friends or family this year it is important to reach out and connect, even virtually.

Prioritizing self-care

Self-care is crucial to avoid burnout and look after your mental health. Some ways to prioritize yourself include:

• Maintaining your normal routine. Stick to your normal schedule as much as possible, take breaks at work and engage in the hobbies or activities that you regularly enjoy.
• Make time for exercise. In the busyness of the holidays, it is easy to forget how important exercise is to our mental health. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain that have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression.
• Maintain a healthy diet. During the holidays we all indulge, but it’s important to maintain a healthy diet to keep us energized. Ensure that you’re eating a balanced diet during the holiday season to keep you feeling your best!

These are just a few ways to maintain your health and wellness during the holiday season but we’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favourite ways to keep yourself on track over the holidays?