Holiday Bucket List for your Mental Health

It’s that time of the year again! The festive season is a time of joy, happiness, spending time with loved ones. However, we understand that this season can also take its toll on many of us. As news regarding the latest COVID variant of concern has exploded, anxiety combined with the frantic rush at the end of the year can even make it the hardest time of the year. Mental health challenges don’t take their time off at Christmas, therefore we got a bucket list for you to check off to maintain your mental health and wellbeing.

Keep Ourselves Active

Don’t let the cold weather and short days ruin your motivation to get active! Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you to concentrate. Even if it is just a wintery walk around the block, it can be great for our mental state, to take a fresh, crisp breath and slow down the busy holiday pace. Going outside with your loved ones and enjoying the change of scenery will do everyone good.

Keep in Touch and Reach Out

Christmas can be a time of increased isolation. This loneliness can be particularly overwhelming during the time of the pandemic. Sometimes, we may become distracted and lose our footing while focusing on holiday plans and errands. Friends and family can make us feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from your own perception, keep you grounded and help you solve problems. Christmas is also the perfect time to reach out to loved ones who you haven’t spent much time with in the past year. Volunteering can also be a good way of reducing loneliness and giving you a sense of purpose if you’re spending Christmas alone this year.

Check out a few volunteer opportunities here:

Holiday Volunteer Toronto

Moorelands Kids Volunteer

Volunteer Ottawa

Take a Break

Give yourself time and space for self-care activities. During this holiday season, our expectations can be ignored because of the ideas of others. It’s important to make sure that you do something you want as well. On the other hand, comparing ourselves with others can exert great pressure on us. This can sometimes be a motivation for us, yet it may negatively impact our self-esteem. Overly exposure to social media and consumer advertising can worsen the situation, especially during this season. Let’s limit our exposure to the internet over this period and focus on the present to enjoy the time with our loved ones.

Ask for Help 

At times, we all can get overwhelmed by how we feel. If things are getting too hard to cope with, firstly you can ask yourself to identify what tempts your stress and try using self-care activities to manage it. It’s hard to admit you’re suffering when everyone else appears to be festive, but it’s OK to not feel OK. If you need help, resources are available here at PsyMood. 

At PsyMood we are working towards breaking down the language and cultural barriers of mental health services. 

PsyMood prides itself on providing online and affordable diverse mental health support for newcomers to Canada by matching our users to mental health specialists that understand their culture and speak their native language. You can start your FREE no-obligation introductory session today.