Mental Health and the Holidays – Royals Lesson!

Ciao lovelies, today’s lesson is about mental health in the holiday season. This time of year can be hard for neuro-divergent people. So taking care of ones mental health is extremely important, but many people don’t take care of their mental health during the holidays. Today let’s talk about why it’s important to take care of yourself during this time, how you can take care of yourself, and I have a short message regarding mental health. (Warning- this post at the end discusses suicide and self-harm and may be triggering to some, please read with caution).

For many people, the holidays are a time of love and happiness, but for some the holidays also include lots of stress, feelings of loneliness, and other issues.

For example, those with sensory processing disorder may have a hard time during this season because of all the extra noise. Or people with depression may feel extra isolated this season because of all the happy faces around them.  People with anxiety may have a hard time because of all the extra things to do this season.

So what can you do to take care of your mental health for this and future holiday seasons?

-          Be as transparent as possible with your loved ones. Don’t suffer in silence. If you are having problems, be sure to tell your trusted loved ones so they understand why you might be more distant than usual. How can we expect our loved ones to be more understanding if we don’t explain what’s going on?

-          Take the time you need to destress. If you need to walk away from a situation for a moment, do so! Be sure to let someone know why you’re stepping out, then take a moment to yourself.

-          If you can’t take a moment away, try to have some kind of stress gadget or stim toy with you. When I know I’ll be in a high-stress environment, I usually wear a chewing necklace or bring a tangle with me.

-          Make sure to take all medications/go to all therapy appointments that you need this season. The last thing you need is more stress because you didn’t take necessary meds or go to your therapist.

My last message comes from a place of personal experience so please hear me out. I know that sometimes that little voice in our heads says that “nobody would miss you” and you might feel alone and feel like committing suicide or self-harming is the only way out. But as someone who’s lost a friend to suicide and almost lost others…please don’t ever think that’s the only way out. The people around you will never forget you and the pain you leave behind doesn’t fade. Suicide is not the answer.

If you are feeling suicidal, please contact a professional for help. If you are in immediate risk of harm to yourself, please contact your local emergency services.

Thank you for reading. I’m sorry this is a shorter Royals Lesson than usual, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for sticking with me.