The Holidays Can Weigh on Your Mental Health As the year comes to an end, the holiday season is officially here! It is one of the busiest and most popular times of the year. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the holidays are a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate everything you’re most thankful for in life. However, the busyness and stress of the holidays impact your mental health in ways you might not have thought about before. The holidays involve gatherings with friends and family, gift-giving, cooking and baking, traveling long distances, and so much more. While this time is enjoyable for many, all of the stress from the holidays can make mental health struggles like depression and anxiety much worse. The Holiday Blues are a real issue that affects countless people from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. A host of factors play into how holidays impact your mental health over this period. When you understand how the holidays affect you, you can take the right steps to prioritize your mental health during the holidays. While the holidays are a time for love, joy, and thankfulness, they can be quite stressful for many people. Rates of depression,…
Suicide Impacts All of Those Who Love That Person Suicide has been an issue that has plagued our society for centuries. While some cultures have condoned suicide in certain situations (for example, ancient Greece gave people convicted of crimes a chance to take their lives), most societies have condemned the act. Many countries even established criminal law to decrease the rate of suicide, but the effects were minimal. Suicide does not just impact the individual committing the act. It affects all of those around the person, from friends and family members to even coworkers. Often, these people are left with inconsolable grief. The trauma and loss they experience can be hard to overcome. These deaths are unlike any other. They are self-inflicted, a choice made by the individual. Pair this with the stigma of suicide and mental illness, and it can be hard to come to terms with what happened. Those who have survived this act need all of the support they can get, which is why International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day was established in 1999. International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (also known as Survivor Day) occurs every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving because the holidays are…
