Survive the holidays by maintaining connections with family, friends: mental health advocate

The Christmas season is marketed as the most wonderful time of the year, but if the pressure of the holidays is getting to you, you’re not alone.

Peer support and mental health advocate Adam Milne told 680 CJOB the holiday season — despite all the hype about fun and happiness — can be a very difficult, stressful period for a lot of people.

“I think it’s unrealistic to expect that people can make it through this time of year really well, when there’s all the extra pressures on top of it,” said Milne.

“I think that’s a problem we have — by putting pressure on people, we’re not letting people use their usual coping strategies.”

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Milne said many of us don’t have the same balance around the holidays as we normally could, and that can cause people to feel overwhelmed and in need of support.

“In a normal day, we seek out certain connections, whether they be personal ones, whether they be online, whether they be things that we do — exercise, talking to friends,” he said.

“We need to keep those things. You need to make those connections, especially now, because that’s the balance. That’s the balance against all the stress and the pressure.”

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If you’re struggling with your mental health over the holidays, it’s important to take care of yourself and make those connections that help you cope during difficult times, he said.

“The perfect gift for most people is really just connection with other people,” Milne said. “I’m sure that’s what you remember from being a kid .

“I don’t remember too many of the presents I got, but I sure do remember all the things I did with my family around this time of year, and my friends.”