Happy Holidays? Managing Mental Health This Christmas

Happy Holidays?Managing Mental Health This Christmas

article by Helen Raines 

With Christmas fast approaching, many people will be starting to get into the holiday spirit. But while for some it is a season of fun, family and festive cheer, for others it can be a painful time of year. Of course depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses can occur at any time but studies show that the social, financial and emotional pressure associated with the Christmas holidays can lead many people to feel isolated, stressed and lonely. With approximately 10 million Americans also suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) it is not hard to see how negative feelings can creep in this Christmas. If you know someone who suffers from mental health problems or if you yourself have been feeling blue in the run up to the holidays, here are some things to consider.

Why does Christmas exacerbate mental health problems?

Christmas is a notoriously family orientated time of year and for those who don't have any immediate friends or family it can be very isolating. One Canadian study showed that the main complaint of those who sought emergency psychiatric help through the Christmas period was feelings of loneliness. Even those who do have a support network close by may be reluctant to participate in large family gatherings or structured work events because the pressure to socialise, conform and be seen to be enjoying themselves is too much for them. And for those who have been bereaved or gone through a family breakdown, it can be a painful reminder of happier times.

It can also be a tough time for those in recovery from addiction or eating disorders as the relaxed attitude towards eating, drinking and celebrating in excess can mean triggers are all around them. As a recovering addict it is important to be honest with those around you if you feel uncomfortable or close to relapse. And for the family of recovering addicts, being mindful of their condition is important but it isn't always necessary to completely ban alcohol from the house as this can create feelings of tension that may make them feel like the spotlight is on them.

Does this mean the risk of suicide increases?

There is a popular misconception that rates of suicide go up during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays however studies reveal that this is not the case. December actually has one of the lowest rates of suicide attempts throughout the year with the period just before Christmas having the fewest suicide attempts of all. While this is positive news, there has been a noted spike in suicide in January. Research suggests that around Christmas time families unite and charities make a well publicised attempt to reach out to those suffering with mental illness. With all of this support and the promise of a merry Christmas, sufferers may start to feel positive about the festive season and hopeful for a fresh start in the new year. But often this vision can be somewhat of an anti climax in reality and when the new year comes around and things remain unchanged, it can feel like an overwhelming disappointment that is too much to bear. This is why it is very important for family, friends and outreach programs to extend their support into the new year and beyond.

How can I be more positive this Christmas?

If you are suffering depression, anxiety or other mental illness over the Christmas period it is important to practice self care and be kind to yourself. Try not to completely withdraw socially but equally don't put pressure on yourself to stay in social situations where you feel uncomfortable. Practice healthy living by eating a nutritional well balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise. A brisk walk outdoors will get your blood pumping and increase the release of dopamine, serotonin and other feel-good brain chemicals that can help ease tension and promote feelings of calmness and positivity.

Many people manage stress through meditation and this can be particularly helpful during the Christmas period when tensions are running high. Take time out each day to relax, breath and decompress. Similarly try and be mindful of the enjoyable things associated with Christmas – the smell of a Christmas tree, the taste of your turkey lunch, the warmth of the fire. Focus on these small things and find peace in the moment.

Why not spend some time giving back over the holidays? Many charities are looking for volunteers to help out in homeless shelters or soup kitchens. Or create a gift package for less fortunate families. Simply visiting an elderly neighbour and spreading some festive cheer can really help you to feel good about yourself so giving to others is potentially the best gift you can also give yourself.

'Protecting your mental health' Talk by AASRA Johnson Thomas on 9th Jan 2016 at 3 pm at Help Library

'Protecting your mental health' Talk by AASRA Johnson Thomas on 9th Jan 2016 at 3 pm at Help Library, 5th Floor , Ashish Bldg, Tardeo end of Bombay Central Bridge, Mumbai 
‪#‎aasradotinfo‬‪#‎aasrasuicideprevention24x7Helpline912227546669forDepressedAndSuicidal‬
‪#‎AFSP‬ ‪#‎IASP‬ ‪#‎INFOTES‬ ‪#‎BefriendersWorldwide‬ ‪#‎WHO‬

#WorldHumanRightsDay

#‎aasradotinfo‬ #WorldHumanRightsDay ‪#‎aasrasuicideprevention24x7Helpline912227546669forDepressedAndSuicidal‬
‪#‎AFSP‬ ‪#‎IASP‬ ‪#‎INFOTES‬ ‪#‎BefriendersWorldwide‬ ‪#‎WHO‬

#WorldAidsDay

#WorldAIDSDay #aasradotinfo #aasrasuicideprevention24x7Helpline912227546669forDepressedAndSuicidal
#AFSP #IASP #INFOTES #BefriendersWorldwide #BefriendersIndia #WHO #Unicef #ActionAid #BillAndMelindaGatesFoundation

Survivors of Suicide Loss Awareness Day Nov 21, 2015

‪#‎Aasra24x7HelplineFortheDepressedAndSuicidal912227546669TALK‬‪#‎WorldSuicideSurviovorsDayMonth‬ ‪#‎aasradotinfo‬

How to tackle sunburn and stay bright

How to tackle sunburn and stay bright

 

# Get an ice cube or frozen vegetables. Grab those tubers in a

towel and rub them on for relief. You can also try cold (plain)

yogurt for soothing relief. Repeat applying it several times a day.

Do not use soap to wash.

 

# Dash for aloe. If you have an aloe plant in your garden then this

is the right time to use it. The colourless pulp inside can help

sunburns and itchiness. 

 

# Goodness of rosewater and glycerine would work wonders. Chaffed,

chapped or cracked skin can find relief with the combination. 

 

# Bathe with oatmeal, corn starch or baking soda! 

 

# If the sun burn is in small patches, you can try wet, cold tea

bags.

 

# If your skin is red and inflamed, try omega 3 fatty acids. Have

flax seeds, walnuts and fish to treat sunburn. 

 

# Eat your tomatoes! Lycopene in tomatoes protect skin from the

harmful UV rays and prevent sun burn, and even cancer. Lycopene

increases when tomatoes are cooked as cooking breaks the cell walls

of the tomato releasing more of lycopene. Don't bother eating fresh

tomatoes if you don't like them. Enjoy your tomato soup daily!

 

To add, do not shut the sun always as sunlight is the primary

source of Vitamin D, more particularly in vegetarians.

'Resilience' the key to stress busting great health (Harvard Health Blog)

Stress-busting mind-body medicine reduces need for health care

POSTED OCTOBER 16, 2015, 4:24 PM

Daniel Pendick, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

This week, researchers at Harvard reported a potent way to keep the doctor away. And it isn’t an apple a day or a new drug — it’s a life skill called resilience. It’s the adult equivalent of crashing into a hedge during your first bike ride without training wheels, shaking the leaves and dirt from your hair, and thinking, “Okay, that wasn’t too bad. Let me try that again.”

People tend to think resilience is something that lucky people have and unhappy people lack, but that’s not true. It’s a skill you can learn. Anyone can strengthen their resilience with practice, starting with the relaxation response — a physiologic state of deep rest induced by practices such as rhythmic breathing, mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, qi gong, or prayer. The relaxation response was first described more than 40 years ago by Dr. Herbert Benson, founder and director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The power of resilience is at the center of a study published this week in the journal PLoS One by Benson and his colleagues at MGH. People who graduated from a resiliency-boosting program developed by the Benson-Henry Institute used considerably less health care services in the year following the course compared with the year before.

The impact of resilience training

Benson-Henry has developed an eight-week course, called the Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (3RP), to enhance resiliency. To measure the effect of this program on health care utilization, the PLoS One study mined a rich database of patient information compiled by Partners HealthCare, a system that includes MGH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and other Boston-area health care facilities. The study compared health care use by more than 4,400 3RP graduates to that of 13,150 Partners patients who didn’t take the 3RP course. In the year after training, use of health care services by the 3RP graduates dropped by 43%.

“We’ve shown in the past that it works in the laboratory and on the level of individual physiology, and now we can see that when you make people well, they don’t want to use health care so much,” says study leader Dr. James E. Stahl, previously affiliated with the Benson-Henry Institute but now based at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire.

Was the 3RP training ultimately responsible for the reduced health care demand? This study cannot prove that beyond doubt, because it just observed statistical links. The researchers were careful to account for factors besides 3RP training that could affect the amount of health care people seek — especially age, gender, race, education, and income level. “Can you ever really eliminate that? I don’t think anyone can be sure,” Dr. Stahl says.

To policy makers, the study offers the possibility of a safe and inexpensive way to help control rising healthcare costs. But strictly speaking, this study doesn’t provide any conclusive evidence about that. For example, what if some of the 3RP group skipped exams and other services that otherwise would have improved their health? More research is needed before anyone can bank on resilience training as a way to keep costs down. “Looking at utilization is the first step toward measuring costs,” Dr. Stahl says.

You can build resilience without formal training

For those of us who don’t live in Boston and can’t sign up for the 3RP training, it’s still possible to boost our resilience in a variety of ways. Resilience comes in part from making meaningful connections with other people, such as through volunteer work, caretaking for aging relatives, and other service work.

In addition, positive psychology research shows that having an optimistic outlook and a sense of connectedness, meaning, and purpose in your life contributes to resilience. This includes learning how to identify and challenge day-to-day negative attitudes that can undermine health.

“Just like fluorinating your water or vaccinating yourself, these are ways of keeping you healthy with, from a public health perspective, minimal investment,” Dr. Stahl says. “My own opinion is that we should probably be teaching those skills in grade school.”