Holidays with Mental Illness

Take it down a notch

for a better holiday season

As the holidays are fully upon us, it seems a good time to talk about how mental illness and the holidays are not always a good mix. While we all enjoy the family gatherings, the decadent food, the music, and the lights, it can be very overwhelming for someone with a mental illness.

Here are some tips:

Quiet is a good thing. Mental illness often creates a lot of noise in someone’s head. Dealing with the internal noise, then being exposed to music, lights, and big crowds of people, can cause sensory overload to happen pretty quickly. Be sensitive to the effect that all this can have on your loved one.

Create a safe place to go to. Wherever you decide to gather, ensure that your loved one has a safe and quiet place to retreat to. When sensory overload happens, having a place where he can get some space can be a refuge. Talk about it in advance, and show him where the safe place is if he needs it.

Let go of expectations. If you’re at a gathering and things aren’t going well, it’s OK to call retreat. Leaving the gathering so your loved one can recover from the activity is better than trying to meet expectations and stay. Don’t worry about what other people think. It’s OK for them to carry on without you.

Take it down a notch. If you like big holiday celebrations, you may find that mental illness does not. Keep things simple and take it down a notch. Your loved one will enjoy the holidays more if things aren’t overwhelming.

Be observant and reach out. For many people, the holidays are not a time of joyous celebration. They’re a time of sadness, reflection on disappointments or losses, and grief over having loved ones not present. Be aware of others, Check in with someone you may be worried about. Even a simple “I was thinking about you” can go a long way to helping someone who is sad this season feel like they aren’t so alone. And keep the National Suicide Hotline number handy: 800-273-8255. Don’t be afraid to share it.