Holidays

Many people feel pressured to drink on NYE, but there are many ways to combat this. Making the decision to remain sober on New Year’s is a smart choice, because it allows you to stay more alert, aware, and present in conversations that you have with others. Much of New Year’s drinking can lead to arguments, fist fights, and reckless decisions that produce harsh consequences both physically, mentally, and legally.

Many people feel pressured to drink on NYE, but there are many ways to combat this. Making the decision to remain sober on New Year’s is a smart choice, because it allows you to stay more alert, aware, and present in conversations that you have with others. Much of New Year’s drinking can lead to arguments, fist fights, and reckless decisions that produce harsh consequences both physically, mentally, and legally. Here are some sample phrases that you can use this New Year’s if you are asked to drink:

A well-known and perpetuated myth is that holidays are meant to be spent in a well-decorated home with a table filled with home-cooked meals and a large group of friends and family who all love and care about each other. This myth brings about much stress and anxiety, as people all over the world strive to make this mystical picture a reality and feel depressed when they cannot. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines the feelings of fatigue, tension, frustration, loneliness or isolation, sadness, or sense of loss as “the holiday blues”. A NAMI survey found that 64% of people say they are affected by this, and 24% say the holidays affect them a lot. NAMI notes that the holiday blues are different from clinical anxiety or depression because the feelings are temporary – however, these feelings can lead to long-term mental health conditions if not taken care of properly. While some families can have some form of the mystical holiday picture, not everyone’s story is like that, and that’s okay. There are millions of people out there who, by societal standards, spend their holidays “alone” – but they’re not alone. Many choose to do other things that make the holidays special for them, even if it’s not specifically with friends or family. For example, many people volunteer by serving food at a homeless shelter or visiting the elderly in residential centers. Many senior citizens feel depressed during the holidays because they’ve lost a loved one or they do not have the health or finances to do something for the holidays. This provides them with wonderful company, they can support a cause, and their heart grows bigger by being with others. In the simplest form, treat the holiday as a typical day and have a detailed list of activity scheduled for the day. NAMI states that sticking to a routine is best because it allows you to stay focused on what you must do rather than wondering what you may be missing. Make the decision to get up, make breakfast, do some cleaning, exercise, do something creative, etc. Before you know it, a full day will go by and it will be time for bed – your day will not have been wasted, and you will feel pleasure in knowing that you had a good day without feeling upset. A few other activities you can do:

The holidays are often filled with family, friends, food, games, and more. While spending time with friends and family can be fun, it can also easily get out of hand. Many people drink during the holidays to celebrate, relieve stress, socialize and more; this habit of thinking also causes people to spend too much, argue more, get in accidents, become more stressed or anxious, and not have real conversations with each other. Perhaps you are in recovery or are simply trying to cut down on drinking. No matter the case, it can be difficult to manage our original goal of sobriety during the holidays when our loved ones are indulging and want us to partake in the drinking festivities as well. Here are four nice (and effective!) ways of denying alcohol at holiday events:

With the holidays coming up, it can be easy to feel nervous about the urge to abuse alcohol or drugs. Whether potential usage is with family or friends, or whether we may feel lonely during the holidays, the urge is still there, and it’s real. If you’ve been in recovery for quite some time or if you’re just wanting to ensure your health and safety this holiday season, sobriety can easily be achieved by remembering and following these few simple tips:

Whether you’re hosting, attending, or neither, the holidays can bring about stress. Pressures of cooking the best meal, putting your “best foot forward” when talking to friends or family you haven’t seen in a long time, and managing the holidays alone can all be stressful and anxiety- inducing. With the right mindset however, anxiety and stress does not have to be a part of your holiday. Here are several wonderful tips for handling anxiety during the holidays:

Along with the holidays comes planning, cooking, gift-buying, decorating, family-gathering, talking, driving, and much more. Many aspects of the holidays can be stressful; if you’ve recently lost a loved one or have disconnected from family, it can add even more stress. Mindfulness is a wonderful technique that can help you stay grounded, focused, and relaxed. Mindfulness is, “the process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment.” The practice of mindfulness is important for day-to-day living, but can be very crucial throughout the holidays as well. The following are tips for practicing mindfulness this holiday season:

New Year’s resolutions can set high expectations which early on lead to shattering disappointments. This is no more true than when it comes to weight loss. January marks six months before “bikini season” and is the weight loss industry’s favorite time of year. Companies, gyms, supplements, and more advertise for the beginning of the year to help everyone make that new years resolution: losing weight. Gym memberships and attendance spike in the beginning of the year, only to dwindle off by February or the spring. Setting high expectations like going to the gym everyday, reaching an unrealistic weight, and more, can be damaging to mental and physical health. What starts off as a resolution can quickly turn into an obsession. Disordered thinking, acting, and eating when it comes to food and body image are symptoms of an eating disorder.

One of the easiest ways to cause ourselves anxiety is to set expectations that are way too high. New year’s resolutions are often a time people do this for themselves. The start of a new year can make you feel like you are on top of the world with a host of new opportunities. January 1 is just another day, like the day before, and the day after. It is important to continue taking care of yourself. The ultimate new year’s resolution when living with anxiety would be to stay committed to self-care and anxiety management. There is no reason to feel pessimistic about the new year as if nothing can change. Just because someone is living with anxiety does not mean they are not capable of creating new routines and habits. How those routines and habits are embarked upon is the difference. Each day is like starting a new year. You always have a chance to change direction, shake it off, and start anew. Here are some basic new year’s resolutions if you are living with anxiety to help prepare you for whatever comes your way this year. This Year, Stop Feeling Guilty For Having Anxiety You didn’t choose to have anxiety, and if you could choose to not have anxiety, you probably would. Mental health conditions are faced by millions of people everyday including people in government, celebrities, and performers. Anxiety is incredibly common. You are not alone in your struggles. To stop weighing yourself down for having anxiety, practice embracing the fact that it is part of what makes up your life. It’s your special challenge which motivates you to take extra care of yourself. Walk Through Your Fears Having anxiety usually means having a lot of general, as well as specific fears. Anxiety doesn’t mean you can’t do things that scare you, but it does mean you have to do them a certain way. This year make a list of fears you’d like to walk through. Know that you don’t have to complete them. However, setting up an intention can help inspire you to do what it takes to prepare yourself to walk through what you feel you can’t. As a result, you’ll find anything is possible, even with anxiety. Avalon By The Sea is a mental health treatment center offering primary care to those with mental health conditions such as anxiety. For a private consultation or more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Addiction can take many forms. One of the characteristics of addiction is impulsivity, recklessness, lack of foresight (thinking about consequences), and thrill-seeking. Together, these character traits can cause someone to become a walking, talking experiment. Willing to try anything, an addict in the making is susceptible to try getting intoxicated or high off of obscure substances. Commonly, the information about the “high” is rarely accompanied by information about the side effects. Consequently, many can find themselves getting sick or putting themselves at risk for severe health complications or even death.

Holidays tend to involve a lot of eating. For those in recovery from an eating disorder, the holidays can be especially difficult. Here are some tips and suggestions to make the holiday season manageable while recovering from an eating disorder.

Navigating the holidays for the newly sober is rarely easy. It's rarely easy for those who are not in recovery! Despite the stress commonly associated with big meals, sensitive family discussions and tight schedules, those in recovery might actually be better equipped for the impending triggers. Just remember that with tips like these, those who've sought treatment for addiction or a mental health condition can successfully reconnect with their loved ones and rediscover the spirit of the holidays with enlightenment and understanding.