Make the holidays merrier by minding your mental health

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday usher in a freight train of frenetic activity. The holidays swirl in like a bad winter blizzard with a flurry of family and festivities, plus pressure to make it jolly memories. Companies and nonprofits are pushing to make year-end fundraising goals or sales quotas. Spending extra on gifts, travel and entertainment, coupled with the rising costs of food and gas due to inflation, adds additional stress.

Recent data from PwC reports that most people (74%) plan to spend the same or more this year, and 35% of shoppers definitely plan to spend more.

Mental health challenges can be exacerbated not just from holiday stress and pressures, but also from seasonal depression/seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Most Americans are still in “survival mode” struggling with anxiety, stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms due to the ongoing pandemic, plus inflation and geopolitical tensions. The holidays can also be challenging for those who have experienced a  loss, or struggle with social isolation and loneliness.