Dealing with Holiday Stress
For each of us, our stressors and triggers are different. Identifying the triggers that may set you off beforehand can help you to avoid an episode. Once you identify your personal triggers, you can work on recognizing them as they occur and handling them more effectively. A list of triggers should include a list of those things from past episodes that were occurring when your episode started.
Keeping a weather eye out for your triggers is especially important around the holidays. The holidays are stressful for many people, and can be even more difficult if you are bipolar. It is highly likely you are going to have more stress and anxiety than usual when being around your family.
It can be particularly hard being around family members who know you are bipolar and are aware of what happened in your past bipolar episodes. They can be nervous that you may be unstable, be judgmental or bring up events that happened in the past that are now perceived as related to your “mental illness”. Even if your relatives may not have any of these feelings, you may project that this is what they are feeling.
My friend Scott tells about two bipolar triggers he has learned to avoid over the holidays:
I used to get stressed out whenever I traveled back to Ohio for family gatherings at my mom and dad’s. A couple of years ago, I came back from a visit for a week over the Christmas holidays and ended up having a bipolar episode and being depressed for a couple of months. I figured out that the two biggest stress factors for me during these visits are being around a large group of people and not having my own place to retreat. I still go home to visit but not during the holidays. I go when I can visit with just a few people at a time. Also, I stay in a hotel instead of staying at my mom and dad’s place. Since I made these two changes, my last two visits have been good.
To alleviate stress over the holidays make sure you are getting good sleep. Regulating sleep is often one of the best ways to balance moods and the circadian system. When you go to sleep easily, sleep and dream deeply, and then wake up refreshed on a set schedule every day, you’re experiencing regulated sleep. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and wake time can help you avoid nighttime sleeplessness or daytime exhaustion, which can increase the risk of new episodes of mania or depression.
By being aware that the holidays can be extra stressful, and taking precautionary measures like monitoring and avoiding your personal “triggers”, you can weather the holidays successfully and prepare yourself for the new year of 2014.
