By Charmaine Caldwell, PhD, LPC-S
The holidays have the potential to be stressful, demanding and focused. Not everyone starts humming carols and putting out decorations the day after Halloween. For some people, the season brings depression, worry, and sadness if they have suffered a loss or some other personal tragedy that occurred during a holiday season. While they may be okay being alone most or some of the time, there is just something about Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations that may emphasize what they no longer have.
Solution: accomplish two goals with one act! Goal 1: Make the holidays kinder for many that you know while improving your mental health at the same time. Research shows that kindness is linked to happiness and contentment at both psychological and spiritual levels. Kindness promotes empathy and compassion; perhaps instigating the concept of passing it forward. The person you were kind to may in turn be kind to someone less fortunate than they, leading to a sense of interconnectedness with others and not feeling so alone or lonely anymore.
Goal 2: When we are kind, we feel better because the act can release neurochemicals that result in a sense of well-being, the “helper’s high.” Your mental health is improved by intentionally doing something positive for someone else. Dopamine, serotonin, and endogenous opioids are released by kind behavior, enhancing both physical and mental health. Some positive effects of kindness could be: reduction of pain, less stress, improved mood, lessened depression and anxiety, can help release oxytocin that indirectly can lower blood pressure, can improve your sense of self-worth, and can elevate levels of dopamine in the brain causing the pleasure/reward center to light up.
Some simple acts of kindness could be:
- Let someone else go first in the grocery line.
- Give an unexpected gift, maybe give money to someone standing at the intersection.
- Leave a generous tip to a server who gave you good service.
- Do a chore for someone without telling them.
- Hold the door open.
- Say “Hello.” “Good morning!” “How are you today?” and mean it every time.
- Put out bird feed on a cold day.
- Feed the feral cats.
Help yourself feel good about yourself. Remember, “Mental Health Matters!”
If you have concerns about your mental health, call Samaritan Center at 432-563-4144 to schedule a visit with a licensed counselor or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
