
The holidays are meant to be a time to bring people together, to celebrate, and to give thanks. Yet, for someone struggling with addiction or other mental health complications, it’s not that easy. Holiday mental health can be a very important component of your overall well-being. If you don’t take steps now to protect your mental health and do so throughout the holiday season, you may find yourself simply overwhelmed. For some, this could put recovery in jeopardy.
Know the Risks That the Holidays Bring
One of the first steps to take, whether you’re an individual struggling with addiction or a family member, is knowing what the risks are. The fact is, relapse is a real concern for many because of the constant exposure to triggers. These are instances in which an individual with an addiction is more likely to take a drink or use their drug of choice. A key part of recovery is removing these triggers from day-to-day life. But the holidays bring about some situations when triggers are constant.
Being in early recovery can exacerbate these problems. Statistics indicate that a person who’s within three years of ceasing drug or alcohol use runs the highest risk of relapse. Those more than three years out are less likely to relapse. Still, everyone can benefit from this guide to holidays and mental health.
Know Your Triggers
One of the keys to your success is understanding what your triggers are. What makes you more likely to use again? There are many things that can fall in line here. These are just a few examples.
- The stress of rushing around, baking, buying gifts and trying to spend time with every member of your family (plus a few old friends) in a limited amount of time can add a huge burden for anyone already feeling stressed over the holidays.
- Certain friends and family members may be more likely to trigger feelings you struggle with, and during the holidays, you may be more likely to come in contact with them. If this is a concern, be sure to excuse yourself from activities if they put pressure on you.
- Along the same lines, when families get together, certain topics may come up that aren’t normally discussed around the dinner table. Topics like politics and gossip can create significant sources of stress for anyone who feels like they’re being marginalized or attacked.
- Being around alcohol and drugs is generally discouraged for all individuals. During the holidays, you have less control over this. Again, you may need to leave the room or occupy yourself with those you know can support you.
- Holiday shopping can force people who have issues being around large groups of people to confront those fears head-on.
- The holidays also create situations where you may be alone, tired, angry and hurt. All these feelings are likely to push you to the brink. The key here is to encourage you to obtain routine counseling and, importantly, not to try to hide your feelings during this time.
- In addition to more family being around, the holidays typically mean that other people you may not have seen in a while can be around — maybe you’re shopping for last-minute Christmas dinner supplies and you run into an old ex-partner. You have to be prepared for any situation.
Focus on you. It will always be important to you to focus on what you can do to remove yourself from these high-risk situations. Prioritize your health and well-being foremost.