Bright Lights and Dark Times: Dealing with Mental Illness Over the Holidays By Ayanna Bates
The holidays are always a weird time when you are dealing with mental illness. For some, the world around us is heightened; the smells, the lights, the people. Everything revolves around food. Everyone is in your face and expecting you to be in a good mood. The world seems to be decorated in extra bright lights but in your world it is too dark to see anything.
Living with a mental illness is hard and the holidays seem to exasperate this.
I personal struggle with mental illness. I am overcoming an eating disorder and with Thanksgiving approaching, alarm bells are going off in my head. I obsess over what I eat and my body image gets more distorted during this time. I also struggle with bipolar two disorder and with the unpredictably the holidays bring, my mind goes haywire. I feel like I have no control over how I am feeling; I want to be jovial but at the same time I feel dead inside.
I get nervous around the holidays because I feel a lot of pressure to be happy when I’m stuck in depression and using eating disorder behaviors to cope.
But with all of this said, I implore us to come up with a plan. If you are a friend or loved one of a sufferer of mental illness reading this, please offer your support. If you are a sufferer of mental illness reading this, continue to see a plan that can make the holidays more comfortable for us.
1. If you can, talk to a therapist or counselor. Let them know that you need extra support from them, for example, being able to contact them by email or text message when needed over the holidays.
2. Surround yourself with genuine people. Having someone close to talk to will help relieve some of that holiday pressure.
3. Keep a schedule. Every Sunday plan your week; grab a calendar or a memo pad on your phone and log in important reminders to keep your holiday stress free.
4. Get some sleep. Staying well rested is key.
5. Eat well. Take care of your body. Make sure to continue to have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, even on Thanksgiving day; stick to your normal sleeping and eating routine.
6. Get moving. Do some energizing yoga or 5-10 minutes of endurance. Keep the blood flowing and the mind healthy.
7. Get inspired. Go on Pinterest or follow some inspiring blogs/vlogs that will motivate you over the holidays. I recommend Kati Morton, a blogger and youtuber who shares tips and motivation for people dealing with mental health issues.
We need to take care of ourselves everyday but especially during the holiday season when our mental illness may seem the most difficult. I think the holidays are hard because we want to be happy like everyone else, but when it’s hard to get out of bed or pick up the fork to eat intuitively, this time of the year starts to look bleak.
But there is something special about the holidays that bring me the absolute comfort. Love; it fills the air. We are hugged a little tighter, we are more thankful and forgiving, we are more giving. So accept the love and accept and ask for help. You are well deserving of a little extra love and care this holiday season.
Stay humble and stay grounded. Remember, people care about you.
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