How to: Stay Positive through-out the Holidays

Hello, lovelies.

The holidays are in full swing right now, Christmas has just passed, New Years Eve & Day are fast approaching, and upon all the happiness and the kind acts of giving, family meetings and board games that you say you don't want to play; but you really want to beat your Mum in, some important things are pushed aside.

Your mental health.

Now, I know that not everyone suffers with a mental health problem, however about a quarter of the population in the UK alone will experience a mental health problem within the year, and the pressures of the holidays can make it worse for those who suffer (and also those around)

So today I wanted to give you some reminders on making sure that you look after yourself and don't get too caught up in the hustle-and-bustle of the holiday spirit.

  

Take your time: 

Don't keep rushing around from door-to-door visiting everone whom you may feel like will forget about you during this period, they'll understand if you send them a text and let them know you're not up for it today, and maybe you can take a raincheck and have lunch another time. Not everything has to be squeezed into a 10 day limit, and not all plans are stuck in concrete - things can change and that's okay.

It's okay not to want to participate:

If you don't want to play that board game, or you don't want to attend that party that your friends are going to, or go shopping with your parent and sibling - that is OK! Your friends and family will understand if you feel like you need to take a breather because you're not entierly feeling yourself that day, or you want a duvet and Netflix afternoon with your cat. You're not expected to be everywhere all the time, and nothing is wrong with that.

 

Gifts aren't everything:

Panicking about the fact you haven't bought your Dad the aftershave he wanted, or you forgot to pick your Sister up those chocolates she really likes isn't the end of the world! Christmas was never made about having to buy people gifts, and this only puts more pressures on yourself to try and have 'The Perfect Christmas', and maybe being around hundreds of people in a small shopping centre sparks up your anxiety and that hinders your gift buying rota, it doesn't matter, no-one is going to mind if you didn't buy them a Hoverboard this year! 

 

Remember, it's a time of rest:

If you're on a break from University, School, or Work... remember this is YOUR time off too, and you're allowed a mid-afternoon walk to yourself around your local park, and a cup of tea in the local coffee shop, and watching movies in bed until 3pm is GOOD for your own well-being. Everyone needs some time to rest from early mornings and course-work set by teachers, so take it how YOU want it, and this holiday period is about resting, and setting yourself up to be energised into the New Year.

 

The small things are sometimes the big things:

Tackling a mental health problem, whatever it may be, can be a challenge. Sometimes even getting out of bed and changing out of your PJs you've been wearing for the past two days is SUCH a task, but if you manage to do that, and get up and showered deserves to be congratulaed! So what if you didn't do loads of fun-packed things in the holidays, some days you might be so down that you don't even want to snuggle with your pet, but if you managed to brush your teeth and give yourself a nice breakfast, that's an achievement in my books - and so it should be in your's. 

So basically what i'm trying to say is that you look after your well-being this holidays, and enter 2016 how you feel is right and don't forget to treat yourself to a hot chocolate, a nice bath bomb and your favourite movie every now and again. Replemish yourself, feel good about yourself, and remember that everyone around you loves you. Christmas and New Year are meant for joy, and you have to focus on bringing yourself that joy.

Have a wonderful rest of the holidays.
Let me know in the comments what you did so far these holidays that made you proud of yourself, or what is your best Pick-Me-Up for when you're feeling a bit under the weather!

Keep Smiling, 
Paige x