Mental health experts provide 3 ways to cope this holiday season

BOSTON — The holidays can often make mental health problems weigh a bit heavier. Boston 25 News anchor Mark Ockerbloom recently spoke with Dr. Ken Duckworth, Chief Medical Director for NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Illness in Massachusetts for tips to help cope. The following is an edited excerpt of their conversation.

A DIFFERENT YEAR

Mark Ockerbloom: The holidays, as a rule, can often be a time where a lot of people deal with isolation, anxiety, depression, now throw in a pandemic… and this is a different year. Are you hearing about more people coming for services like the ones provided at NAMI this year?

Dr. Ken Duckworth: The holidays are often a difficult time for people. This is the classic cognitive problem of “Madison Avenue” presents you with happy, multi-generational families who all are apparently from the same political party… that’s not everyone’s experience.

Demand for mental health has never been greater than right now. And this is one of the challenges that we face: are there enough providers to see everybody it’s hard to find a therapist right now.

But a lot of the strategies won’t involve a mental health professional: There’ll be connection, resilience, giving to others at this time of year.

COPING STRATEGIES

Ockerbloom: Give me three things people can do right now, to help themselves improve mentally and prepare them for the holidays.

Dr. Duckworth: Learn from your prior experience, know what works for you, right? And so, for me, it’s going to be:

1) Exercise.

2) Don’t forget your friends, and find ways to keep the relationships going.

3) Then I’d say, remember people who are more vulnerable than you. Think of some way to contribute something to their lives. Giving is good for mental health as is connection, as is exercise.

This is hard, the holidays tend to be about connections and tradition. And both those things are being distorted.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Ockerbloom: And this year, you have to socially distance or perhaps not even get together with friends and family. How do you deal with that?

Dr. Duckworth: One of the great slogans at NAMI is ‘You are not alone’. Everybody’s holiday is getting distorted by this. More people are seeking mental health than ever before. To me, that’s a commentary on the success of the conversations we’ve had of some of NAMI’s program, and the general improvement in our society, making it okay not to be okay.

If you feel like you need help, the National Alliance on Mental Illness has resources available. VISIT: namimass.org

More from Boston 25 News:

• Overcoming barriers to mental health care and stigma in communities of color
• Mental health: Improving the mind-body connection
• Brothers Building: Offering support to those who suffer silently

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