Holiday Stress and Bipolar Disorder

The holiday season is a time for family and friends to spend some real quality time together, celebrate the end of the year and resolve to better ourselves over the next year. We like to imagine, here in the States anyway, lightly falling snow, festive music and traditions that have been passed along our family lines for generations.

Offering gifts to our friends and loved ones is aimed to not only show them that we care and illustrate how special they are to us, it also gives us a wonderful opportunity to take time away from our stresses and show our compassionate side in knowing that we have enhanced the lives of those that we love.

Although these moments are the climactic result of our labors, we all too quickly sweep anything under the rug that may interfere with such a euphoric state. These emotions of closeness and love offer a pay off to such hard work during times of preparation, yet we must still maintain a level of respect to those of us that are managing such challenges as Bipolar Disorder within our lives.

The beginning of the holiday season may introduce stress to many people around the world, and this is to be an expectation. Planning for visits if family or friends are coming in or we are going to visit them, planning events or dinners, making arrangements for such gatherings and worrying about every little detail. When it comes to the later portion of the season, there are challenges brought on about purhcasing gifts and other related to-do’s that are on the seemingly never-ending list.

When these stressful times are mixed in with bipolar disorder, we much take special care in respecting the high amounts of stress that may be present and attempt to put together a plan of attack that will help us, as supporters, to help our loved ones battle potentially trigger-inducing work loads. There may sometimes be a connection between bipolar disorder and similar symptoms that are presented with Seasonal Anxiety Disorder(SAD), that may come into play that can truly affect the overall holiday season environment for those involved.

Many people suffering from bipolar disorder attempt to “hide” their battles and blend in as best as possible as to not affect others, especially when this time of year is to be joyful and pleasant for all. Unfortunately, this facade may only lead to a higher chance of triggering an episode if plans are not totally met to expectations. The stresses of “fitting in” or meeting the standards of others can be very difficult, especially if our loved one is already in a depressive cycle, which again, is common during the winter season.

As we get closer to the events of the holidays, stress rises and we must keep an eye open for those bumps in the road that may push our loved one into a potential danger zone. Work together as keep the lines of communication open as much as possible as to gauge the stress levels and also work on a plan of including a safety net; keep on guard for opportunities to step in and act as a tag-team on the stressful tasks. When levels are getting too high, know when to step in and provide a safe haven for your loved one as to relieve some built-up pressure.

Keep the holidays as stress free as possible and really stay in tune with your loved ones as to keep as much stability around as possible. Sure, we can’t plan for or prevent every negative issue from happening, but we can keep close together and offer as much of a cushion as we can to get through the ups and the down that can come along during the holiday season.

With a passion to reach out and to help others, Rich opens up a direct view into the trials and tribulations that come with managing a bipolar relationship and how to use real-world techniques to aid in stability and support.

Rich Wallace

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