Lunar New Year is a time for family and friends to reunite; each individual rests after a long year of studying and working hard. However, the holidays are also a time when psychological problems appear or aggravate existing psychological problems. This condition is called Holiday Blues by psychologists.
This is a short-term mental disorder that, if ignored, can cause longer-term stress and anxiety. Here are 5 habits that will help you overcome the Holiday Blues and use the holiday season to heal the psychological problems you are facing.
Be calm and introspective
Calmly look at yourself
The structural school of psychology has a technique called introspective experimental technique, which can be simply understood as self-observation and the closest is the meditation method.
Meditation helps the mind to rest, relax from the constant stream of thoughts and is also a time for you to observe your body and senses; recognize the psychological wounds you encounter, accept them and gradually soothe and erase them.
In the bustling atmosphere of Tet, finding a quiet place and meditating for 15 to 30 minutes every day, especially early in the morning, helps you train your mind, reduce racing thoughts, let go of worries, and calm your mind and body.
Besides reducing stress, meditation also helps you have a slower heart rate, better sleep; bringing benefits to both your physical and mental health.
Sports
Clean and organize the house
The Japanese have a proverb: "A messy room is like a messy mind" or the saying "clean the house, clean the door, clean the heart" by the monk Shoike Mastumotoi.
In a consumer society, accumulating and owning things is a human habit, it makes our living space messy, creating a feeling of distraction, stress and dissatisfaction with everything.
Researchers have identified a direct link between the stress hormone cortisol and clutter (or “high indoor density”). So cleaning and organizing your home not only makes things look neater, but it also reduces stress and helps you focus on the things that matter to you.
Some notes when cleaning the house to feel freedom and comfort for the mind, include:
- Definitely get rid of unnecessary things, you can sort out rarely used items in a corner and get rid of it if you still haven't used it after a few months.
- Don't pressure yourself to clean like those cleaning goddesses online, you clean to clear your mind so don't put more pressure on yourself.
- If you want to be able to find a cleaning partner to help, this helps create a bond between you and your loved ones; however, if you want to clean alone, that's fine too.
- Start with your work and study area, where you feel most stressed, then move to your bed and wardrobe, and finally the rest of the house. Make it a habit to clean every week, or even just do a quick daily clean; don’t wait until your mind is in a mess to do this.
Cooking
Cooking for yourself can cure depression, do you believe it? In fact, the sounds of knives and chopping boards, boiling water, and dishes and chopsticks hitting each other create a nerve stimulation called ASRM (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) which is an independent orgasmic response that creates a feeling of relaxation for humans.
When you enter the ASRM state, your brain releases neurochemicals such as dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin, or serotonin. These substances will make you feel comfortable, relaxed, and excited.
ASRM is also created when you hear the sound of cooking, rain, books turning, keyboard typing, or whispering... The feeling of ASRM, combined with the aroma of food, can dispel fatigue and a depressed mood.
Additionally, some people who choose to cook for relaxation say that chopping ingredients is also a form of meditation; it brings focus and presence to the person doing it.
Whether you are cooking a big meal for your family or just a light meal for yourself, the trick is to cook in a quiet space, quiet enough to hear the "scratching" and completely focus on the cooking. It will bring positive benefits to your mental health, help you relax, stabilize your heart rate, improve sleep quality, reduce pain... and improve the psychological disorder you suffer from.
Learn a new skill or sport
When you learn a new skill or practice a new sport, new synapses are created. According to neuroplasticity theory, the brain has the ability to change its neural networks, specifically the changes in neural circuits and networks that occur during the process of learning and acquiring skills.
Thanks to this neuroplasticity, when the brain moves on to learning something new, the amount of negative thoughts will gradually decrease to zero. When the brain performs new skills, new ideas, new movements... focusing on these activities will make us think less vaguely and focus more on these new neural connections. Gradually, it will help heal old psychological "wounds" and gradually help you overcome depression and improve your mood.
Get into the habit of planning
Get into the habit of planning
Here is the practice of planning your daily work. Planning carefully and sticking to the plan and doing each task from small to large, in order and not letting the work overlap or be unfinished has a great effect in improving your mood.
Every time you achieve or complete a task on your to-do list, your brain releases the happy hormone dopamine, which helps you feel happier and more motivated to do the next tasks in your plan.
The trick is to have a limited number of tasks to do during the day and break down large tasks into smaller ones to take advantage of the dopamine stimulation but not make it too difficult and discouraging to give up all the effort you have put in.
Psychologists have pointed out that the reason why Holiday Blues or other psychological disorders occur is because you are facing many problems as well as setting too high expectations for yourself. These problems become worse during the holidays when you are busy and stressed with shopping, cleaning and decorating for Tet, thinking about the past year or feeling regret or failure, even being upset because you did not complete the goals you set for yourself.
But you can totally turn things around and turn the holiday into an opportunity for you to practice controlling your own psychology to have a happy holiday with family and friends.
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