Simple Mental Health Tips for the Holidays

Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm

As we move into the winter holiday season, we have things to celebrate and things to mourn and things to simply get through. Below, we’ve gathered our go-to tools to help us welcome all of it - the happy, the hard, the inbetween. 

Bring on the light and strength!

Hold Someone’s Hand

Reaching for someone’s hand is a great shortcut to getting calm. We use this tactic for stressful group outings. Studies have shown that touch signals safety and trust, according to University of California, Berkeley’s The Greater Good Science Center. “Basic warm touch calms cardiovascular stress. It activates the body’s vagus nerve, which is intimately involved with our compassionate response, and a simple touch can trigger release of oxytocin, aka ‘the love hormone’.”

Carry a Crystal

Early this year, we wrote about the power of crystals. Different stones have different powers, and choosing a new one you feel drawn to is a good way to enter the holiday season. In The Little Book of Crystals, author Judy Hall explains that crystals have “a stable and unchanging energy pattern... They act like tuning forks” to bring harmony to the otherwise unstable energy within us. If you are in town, drop by Harvest Moon Botanica for some crystal shopping.

Recite this meditation

We read this meditation when we’re having trouble falling asleep. But it would be helpful in any time of stress, really. It’s a good one to keep on your phone or in your pocket.

“I welcome peace into my body and release my grasp from what I cannot control. With each inhale, I welcome stillness and allow it flow through me like a river. With each exhale, I release all thoughts that continue to persist. My mind served me well today and I am grateful. I am allowing my mind and body time to rest and restore. Today is complete and all that matters is the present moment. I am here, I am safe, I am calm.” (source)

Take a Shower

When you need an introvert moment or just a beat away from family or other groups, take a shower. You’ll feel clean, you’ll smell nice, you’ll get time alone, you’ll get a cool off period physically and metaphorically. Take a shower. Trust us.

Pick Something to Look Forward To

Having something to look forward to is a very solid way of muddling through some unpleasantness. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. So, when it feels like there is nothing to look forward to, you can open your calendar and find something.

Escapism!

All you need is WiFi for this one. Some escapism we are digging right now: 

Make An Anti-Depressive Recipe

We were first clued into anti-depressive eating by our girl dj Abby Yemm. It takes the simple idea that what we eat matters, and puts it through the filter of mental health. According to Harvard Medical School, “What it boils down to is that what we eat matters for every aspect of our health, but especially our mental health. Several recent research analyses looking at multiple studies support that there is a link between what one eats and our risk of depression, specifically.” Here are a couple recipes to get you started: 

  • Whole Wheat Pasta with Cauliflower and Collards - The complex carbs in this pasta dish help regulate mood, while the collard provides depression fighting omega-3, vitamin B and vitamin C. Plus, the cauliflower is another Mediterranean Diet approved food and also offers vitamin B-6 and folate.

  • Warm Quinoa, Spinach and Shiitake Salad - This superfood salad includes quinoa for protein and complex carbs. Complex carbs are thought to prevent depression and anxiety by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Beyond that, spinach has mood-boosting B vitamins, and mushroom includes selenium, which may help fight depression.

And if it helps, here are some more resources to keep on hand:

And an Abby Yemm playlist for you…

Happy & Grateful Holiday

A playlist by Abby Yemm, Nellie + teacher + artist + dj

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maggie laubscher