Prioritizing Mental Health During the Holidays

Why the Holidays Can Feel Heavy

Anxiety is more than occasional nervousness or stress. It can become a daily struggle that affects concentration, relationships, and overall well-being. For many, symptoms appear as racing thoughts, tension, restlessness, or constant worry. When left untreated, anxiety can interfere with sleep, work performance, and physical health. At Dione Counseling & Associates, we provide anxiety counseling in Houston designed to help clients identify what triggers their stress and create practical coping strategies. Our goal is to help clients regain calm, balance, and a sense of control in their daily lives.

For as long as there have been human beings on this planet, there have been people who took a walk when they were feeling a strong negative emotion. There is just something so beneficial about walking. It seems to calm us down and clear our head so we can think from a calm and logical state instead of an emotional one.  So it makes complete sense that some people would be drawn to walk and talk therapy.

Did you know that chronic stress can have serious consequences on your health? It’s true—stress can make it difficult to sleep, weaken your immune system, and lead to other problems like heart attacks, strokes, anxiety, and depression. Plus, stress can cause irritability, lack of motivation, and difficulty concentrating, thereby negatively impacting your work and personal relationships. If you’re feeling stressed, one of the best things you can do is speak to a therapist who can recommend stress relief techniques that are tailored to your specific circumstances. But in the meantime, we’ve compiled the following five strategies for stress management. 

No matter how independent you may be, it’s still important to build healthy relationships with your immediate and extended family members, friends, and coworkers. Research suggests that when we foster connections with those around us, it can: Improve our self-esteem Make us more cooperative, empathetic, and trusting Strengthen our immune systems Extend our lives Reduce our risk of developing anxiety and depression

If you’ve ever worked in a toxic environment, you know how taxing it can be. Conversely, when colleagues have positive working relationships, it can: Increase productivity and efficiency Allow you to trust one another Make you feel more empowered to suggest ideas Reduce stress levels Make your work experience much more enjoyable Whether you’ve just started at a new job or you’ve been employed for a while but are still finding your footing at the company, here are some steps you can take to build healthy relationships with coworkers: Follow through on your promises. Your coworkers need to feel like they can rely on you to pull your weight of the work, and to ensure that happens, you have to fulfill your commitments. Also be sure to meet deadlines, and if you anticipate not being able to do so, give your colleagues a heads up. Listen to your coworkers. Oftentimes, employees focus only on voicing their own opinions, perhaps in an attempt to prove themselves to their boss. But it’s equally important to actively listen to and acknowledge what your coworkers have to say. Get to know your coworkers on a personal level. You and your colleagues don’t need to be best friends, but it may make it easier for you both to empathize if you know a bit about each other. Ask them how their weekend was and pay attention when they discuss their family and hobbies. Avoid getting involved in office gossip. While you should be friendly with your coworkers, you shouldn’t participate in spreading rumors. Not only can engaging in gossip keep you from getting tasks completed, but it may also cause your coworkers to question whether you talk about them, too. Show appreciation. Acknowledging your coworkers’ efforts can go a long way toward making them feel valued. This doesn’t just apply to work-related efforts, either—if they bring in baked goods or arrange a fun team outing, be sure to tell them how much you enjoyed it.

If you’ve recently lost someone or something, you may be going through the grieving process. Below, we explain what grief is and how long the grieving process can be expected to take. We also offer some tips on how to cope with loss. 

Do you have trouble balancing work and your personal life? If so, you’re not alone. According to Mental Health America (MHA) , almost 40% of U.S. adults who are employed full time reported working 50+ hours a week, and 18% work 60+ hours. Despite how common it is for people to work long hours, having a healthy work-life balance is critical. Working too many hours—especially if it bleeds into your evenings, weekends, and holidays—can cause you to: Feel stressed and burnt out Strain your relationships with your loved ones Neglect your hobbies and self-care activities All of this, in turn, can negatively impact your physical, mental, emotional, and social health.

At one time or another, all parents feel like their child is acting “out of control.” But eventually this feeling passes as the event passes. But for some parents, an out-of-control child is not a fleeting phenomena but a 24/7 reality. These children constantly push the limits and seem to care very little (if at all) about the consequences. If you are the parent of an out of control child, you must take steps to maintain your authority, not only for your child’s well-being, but for your own mental health. With this in mind, here are some tips for parenting an out of control child: