Holiday Stress Management When You’re Living With Bipolar Disorder
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What to Know: Protecting Your Mental Health During The Holidays
Holiday stress and mental health are closely connected, especially if you live with bipolar disorder.
The holiday season brings pressures around family interactions, traditions, food, time management, and expectations. This can affect mood stability.
Practicing mindful choices, eating intentionally, protecting your schedule, and setting boundaries with others can help reduce holiday stress.
With self-awareness and careful planning, you can manage your mental health during the holidays and have a more peaceful and meaningful season.
Do Christmas carols, cookies and gift wrap make you anxious? If feelings of anxiety and guilt start dimming your outlook around November 1, you're not alone. Joy, inspiration, and togetherness might be the goals of the season, but many people are plagued by guilt and frustration instead. And if you live with bipolar disorder, the holidays can be especially challenging.
Holiday stress management is so important because it can impact your mood stability. The good news is that with intentional planning and self-awareness, you can manage holiday stress and find real enjoyment in the season.
Sources of Holiday Stress
Is it the most wonderful time of the year, like the song claims, or is there too much holiday stress? The truth is that there are many things that can cause holiday stress. Whether it's anxiety about seeing your family, overeating, financial concerns, or something else, many things can steal your joy.
How Are Holiday Stress and Mental Health Related?
There is a lot of pressure during the holidays. In many households, the annual traditions include sending dozens of holiday cards, making cookies by the score, shopping for gifts, and endless rounds of wrapping and shipping gifts. Then, there are the many work and social parties you may be expected to attend. It’s a lot. And when you live with bipolar disorder, you are already managing things like daily bipolar medications and psychiatrists’ appointments.
Bipolar Holiday Stress Management
Fortunately, you can see stress coming from a mile away in this season. This gives you the opportunity to prepare yourself to cope. Let's take a look at some holiday stress tips that might put more joy into the season.
Make Careful Choices
It's tempting to say "yes" to every invitation and event that pops up. Plus, you may have a tendency to participate in certain activities simply because it's what you've always done. However, if you notice that stress and the holidays are inextricably intertwined for you, then it may be time to start saying no.
Think about your family's traditions. Which ones are really important to you? Are some of them outdated or not as fun and meaningful as they once were? It may be that it's time to let some of those traditions go or to make new, simpler traditions that are more in keeping with your family today.
When it comes to accepting invitations, weigh each one. Which gatherings are the ones that you genuinely enjoy? Are there certain parties that you dread? Perhaps one of the best methods for managing holiday stress is to be selective about which invitations you accept.
Maintain Your Routine
One of the best things that you can do for holiday stress management when you have bipolar disorder is to stick to your routine as much as possible.
The holidays can easily disrupt your daily rhythms. When this happens, it directly affects your mood. Try as much as possible to keep your routine intact through the holiday season. For instance, if yoga is part of your wellness routine, keep practicing just as you did before the holiday season. Things to keep the same:
Wake time
Socialization times
Medication schedule
Meals
Exercise and fitness
Bedtime
And if others pressure you to “go with the flow,” remember this: maintaining your routine, including mental health habits like yoga, isn’t inflexible. It’s a way of supporting your stability. In fact, a consistent daily routine is one of the main principles of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy.
Eat Mindfully
At holiday gatherings, you'll encounter mountains of delectable foods, many of which appear only during this season. When you live with bipolar disorder, this can feel complicated in a deeper way. Many bipolar medications can cause increased appetite. This can lead to weight gain. You may already be working hard to maintain a healthy weight and support your physical and mental health. And now you're stressing about potentially undoing all the hard work you’ve done to manage your diet.
Your holiday stress may be food-centered, but there are strategies you can use to ease the way. For instance, before going to a party, eat a healthy mixed green salad at home. You'll already be nearly full when you arrive at the event, so you're less likely to overeat. This allows you to sample desserts and other wonderful holiday dishes without guilt.
Give yourself permission to eat and enjoy holiday foods in moderation. No food is inherently good or bad. It is only food. It is your perception of it that makes it "good" or "bad."
Remember that overindulging in anything isn't healthy. Use a little moderation and focus on your overall health and how much better you feel when you indulge a little but don't go overboard.
Change Your Perspective on Togetherness
The holidays may bring you into contact with family and friends that you see only once a year. Some of these reunions are joyous. But others may be overstimulating, unpredictable, or emotionally charged. In some families, things can go well for only a short time before everyone starts forgetting to be on their best behavior.
Reflect on prior holiday gatherings. How long did it take before things turned sour? It might be wise to set a schedule that has you exiting the party at about the time it stops being fun.
If the holidays bring up old emotions or feel heavier than expected, talking to a therapist can really help you navigate it. You can even connect with support online through therapy you can access from home.
Mental Health During the Holidays: Final Thoughts
Do the holidays have to be the most stressful season if you have bipolar disorder? I don't believe so. You have plenty of control over how you celebrate, and if you use these holiday stress tips, this could be a happy (and stable) time for you and your family.
If you want more strategies and personal insights and for living with bipolar disorder, explore my other blog posts on the main page at Thriving with Bipolar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are practical strategies for managing mood swings during the holidays with bipolar disorder?
Treat your energy like currency. Spend it wisely. Save your energy when it isn’t likely to lead to a positive outcome.
What self-care activities can help with holiday stress and bipolar disorder?
Things like yoga and journaling can help. It can also be as simple as simply carving 15 minutes out of your day and having a warm cup of tea. This can help reset your mood and calm your nervous system.
What lifestyle adjustments help individuals with bipolar disorder during holiday travel?
Stick to your routine as much as possible. Plan ahead and carefully pack, making sure you include things that keep you stable, like PRN medications if you have them.
Planning ahead really helps. I usually like to book my trips early with Expedia, and I always make sure I have travel insurance so I feel more prepared and protected while traveling.
