5 ‘one off’ things you may want to try this Christmas season to assist your mental health
Before I start, the allure of a ‘quick fix’ is so tempting in regards to our mental health – we’re often looking for something fast and easy to alleviate unwanted symptoms. In my experience, however, these are unfortunately rare in regards to mental health treatment. Mental ill health is often caused by long-standing patterns (such as internalising negative thinking styles, or repeated avoidance behaviours, or ongoing chronic stress) or other factors (such as genetics and physical health) which aren’t able to be reversed or changed immediately.
Having said that, here are some things that I often recommend clients try out at least once during their treatment journey in order to see what they notice as that change is made. You might want to trial one, or all five, over the festive season.
Eliminate caffeine
Australians love our coffee and caffeine is great for many things, including waking us up on a Monday morning or being the perfect drink to accompany a brunch. However, caffeine can inadvertently have negative effects at times on our sleep and our anxiety. Regardless of how much or how frequently my clients drink coffee, I often recommend they try and reduce or eliminate caffeine (including energy drinks, teas, colas, etc) for a period. Perhaps as short as one day or maybe as long as 1-3 weeks. This can give us a chance to see if the caffeine is impacting (or not!) how restful and regular our sleep is, or how prominent our physiological and cognitive symptoms of anxiety might be. You may want to embrace decaf, herbal teas, or other caffeine free soft drinks.
2. Eliminate alcohol
Similar to above! Many Australians drink alcohol, even just socially (however evidence does suggest our rates of drinking are declining…), and alcohol in moderation is perfectly fine as a lifestyle choice. However, alcohol can possibly also play a role in our sleep quality, and anxiety and depression symptoms. Again, perhaps try reducing or eliminating alcohol, to see what impact is has. Many clients report finding alcohol (even in small amounts) can sneakily but significantly cause less restful sleep, more anxiety (or ‘hangxiety’ – hangover anxiety!) symptoms, or exacerbate their depression. Thankfully, the range of alcohol free drinks has expanded significantly in recent times, making reducing or eliminating alcohol even easier.
3. Do something playful
The older we get, the farther away (literally and metaphorically) we get from our childhood. Gaining independence and autonomy as an adult can be very liberating, but adulthood can also come with increased responsibility (with work, finances, family, caring responsibilities, etc). Often in the midst of responsibility we lose touch with our playful selves; our spontaneity, our creativeness, our silliness. Sometimes I suggest clients try and reconnect with this side of themselves – maybe next time you walk past a playground try and swing on the swing or go down the slippery dip. Maybe you want to dance to a favourite song, by yourself or with someone you care about. Maybe you want to try write a poem, or compose a tune, or get out some paints or crayons, without caring how ‘good’ the outcome may be.
4. Spend some time alone
Note, this won’t apply to everyone - many people struggle with loneliness and isolation and wish they could spend less time alone! However, I’ve seen many clients who, for one reason or another, very rarely spend time alone and often fear it. Whilst humans are social creatures and human connection is incredibly healing and important, there can be many benefits of solo time. I often suggest clients try and set aside a time to be alone, whether it’s 15 minutes without their phone sitting outside, 1 hour for a solo walk, a dinner or meal by yourself, or even a solo holiday! Often it’s not until we are by ourselves that we are able to truly connect with ourselves, let certain thoughts and feelings come to the ‘surface’, and learn other regulation skills. Being more comfortable with being alone can also have the added benefit of enriching our relationships because we are able to more freely ‘choose’ to be with someone, rather than because of a fear of being alone.
5. Plan a break or holiday even when you don’t ‘need’ it
I work with many people who feel like it would be a ‘waste’ to take a holiday if they don’t really need it. However, prevention is always better than cure! Taking a break even when you don’t feel like you 100% have to can be an excellent way to prevent burnout. Even if it’s just taking one day off for an extra long-weekend, there can be many surprisingly nice things about taking a break or holiday before you feel like it’s necessary. It can be nice to have a ‘staycation’ which involves no travel, no airports, no driving, no packing and unpacking, no plans. Or a midweek day off where you can do nothing, or catch up on life-admin, or explore your own city, or see a friend with a different schedule. When we only take holidays when we need it, we often need more time to ‘unwind’ before we can actually enjoy the time off. We arrive at our breaks exhausted and stressed, sometimes collapsing rather than enjoying the time off. Before the end of the year, you may want to look forward into next year and plan when you may want to take a quick break :)
