5 tips for taking care of your mental health this holiday season

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

Try gifting yourself first this year by taking care of your mental health this holiday season. We have 5 tips to help you stay sane during this busy time of year.

1. Self-care is the first step in taking care of your mental health over the holidays

Holidays are all about giving to others, yet you’ll feel your best mentally and physically if you carve out some time for yourself.

When our mental health is out of balance, we don’t handle stress as well, may get sick more often, and may have a harder time making healthy food choices. While self-care looks different for everyone, here are a few ways that have helped others refill their reserves during this busy time of year.

Start the day with yoga
Go for a walk
Talk to a friend
Leave your house to go shopping
Boogie spontaneously
Get a massage
Spend time in a sauna or hot tub
Soak in a tub or whirlpool bath
Play with a pet
Read a book
Go to bed early

2. Choose better nutrition over too many sugar-laden treats

Don't forget about your diet if you want to give yourself the best chance of maintaining positive mental health during the holidays. While it feels pleasurable at the moment, eating a lot of sugar and processed foods makes it harder for our brains to manage anxiety and depression. Need some guidance on what to eat? Look to the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables and legumes while low in sugar and red meat. In fact, research shows the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on mental health. The AMMEND trial showed an improvement in depressive symptoms in young men who adopted this pattern of eating.

Check out some of our favorite Mediterranean-inspired snacks to keep your energy levels up this holiday season

3. Avoid going overboard on those adult beverages

The holidays can mean a busy social calendar along with stressful, end-of-the-year deadlines. Both situations present additional opportunities to drink more than usual. Imbibing more often may feel good in the short term, though it can negatively impact mental and physical health. Since alcohol is a depressant, it can disrupt the delicate balance of chemicals in your brain. After a night of drinking, you may notice you don’t sleep as well, and your digestion is off. Waking up early the next day to get to the gym will be more difficult, compromising your health goals.

Here are tips that have helped others avoid drinking too much over the holidays:/

Set limits
Decide how many drinks you’ll allow yourself during a given week, and then find a way to keep yourself accountable. MyNetDiary makes it easy to set a personalized alcohol target and keep track on your dashboard. This article offers additional information on tracking in the app and tips to keep your alcohol intake in check.
Find an alternative drink
Experiment with non-alcoholic drinks like sparkling water, hot tea, or a mocktail. Lower-sugar drinks will give you the best chance of meeting your fluid needs while not providing too many extra calories. This article offers additional ideas on nutritious and alcohol-free winter beverages.

4. Do something social that doesn’t center around eating and drinking

Maintaining a social network is important when taking care of your mental health throughout the year. More often than not, the holiday season is a more social time of year. So, find creative ways to catch up with friends and colleagues beyond eating and drinking. For example:

Catch up with a friend while taking a walk together. Too cold to walk outside? Walk, shop, and chat at a mall.
Meet at that new tea or coffee shop you’ve been wanting to check out.
Go to a low-impact workout class together.
Attend a holiday event or art or gift market together.

5. Reach out for support

The holidays can be a mentally challenging time for many of us. Online support can fill those gaps when you need additional support.

MyNetDiary offers online support for weight loss through our Community feature. Community is a safe place to share successes, offer encouragement, share before-and-after photos, or ask for advice. To access Community, tap on your dashboard's "Community" tab.

If you struggle with mental health and need additional support from a licensed therapist, these resources can help you find someone who fits your needs:

Betterhelp.com

Psychologytoday.com

Taking time to care for your mental health during the holidays can help you experience this unique time of year in a different and hopefully more enjoyable way. You’ve got this!