2 tips to navigate your mental health during the Holidays

We are in the midst of the Holiday season ‘22. Tis’ the season to reflect on our year, to reunite with family and friends, and celebrate each other. The holidays are a very joyous time, but can also be very challenging. It is quite normal to have mixed feelings around this time of year. According to the APA, 38% of people’s stress levels increased and A NAMI study showed that 64% of people with mental illness reported worsening mental health during the holidays. Before we provide our tips let’s look into the reasons why we may feel stress during the holidays:

There are many expectations around the holidays about being in a jolly mood and good spirit but for many this isn’t possible and can create feelings of worthlessness and feeling that there’s “something wrong with them”.
People who have conflict or toxic relationships with family can be re-traumatized and triggered. Family gatherings can be difficult to navigate as a result.
People who lack social support may feel extra lonely.
Winter is in full swing meaning nights are longer and darker and temperatures drop. This can lead to low energy and low moods and in some cases Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the NHS, SAD is a type of depression and that comes and goes in accordance to seasonal pattern. Often people experience symptoms more severely during the winter.
The end of the year can bring a lot of “looking back”, which can lead to feeling like you didn’t achieve what you set out to or incite feelings of being not where you want to be in life.
Grief and loss can feel overwhelming during the holiday periods because it is a reminder of family or friends not being present to celebrate.
Financial pressures around gift giving may be stressful for people who are experiencing economic hardships.

2 tips from us to you

We want to help you fully embrace the holidays and get the full enjoyment from them. With this in mind, we launched two new patterns this holiday. Each one represents how you can navigate and thrive during this season.

Paws in the snow is inspired by the Winter Solstice. The winter solstice is when the earth’s poles reach its maximum tilts away from the sun. In other words, in the northern hemisphere the shortest period of daylight occurs on or around December 21st. In the southern hemisphere the winter solstice occurs in June. Why does this matter? Since prehistory this time of year has been very important to human cultures and civilizations because it marks a symbolic death and rebirth of the sun. Many animals hibernate during the winter. Trees have shed their leaves, which turns into soil and helps new growth in the spring.

In the modern world, we can create self-care rituals inspired by the natural world that nourish us, help us moving forward and keep us mentally healthy.

Some ideas for you (and your pup):

Face the sun in the morning and engage in mindfulness practice with your pup
Take advantage of the long nights by reflecting through journaling practices
Use the opportunity of cold and darkness to stay indoors and relax with your pup on the couch.
Make vision boards to inspire you for what is to come in the spring
Spend time just “being” without “doing”. Something our pups are really good at and we can learn from them.

The holidays is often about spending time with family, but this can bring up a lot of negative feelings for many people especially if you have had a traumatic upbringing, little family, or toxic family dynamics. Even if you have good relations with your family it can still be a lot of pressure! All of the questions about how you are doing or how your year has been etc etc. Sometimes we also are just not in the mood to celebrate and there’s no reason needed to feel that way.

Tip on how to remedy:

If you’re spending time with family, set boundaries ahead of time
Spend time with people who nourish you
Take the time to tell those who have been your greatest supports how much they mean to you
Spend time with your dog
If you don’t feel like doing anything at all, don’t! This is your sign telling you it’s okay to not celebrate!

We hope you find these tips helpful for this season and from our family to yours we wish you a peaceful holiday season!