Family and your Mental Health during Holidays!

We’ve been told “What” we should do, but rarely “Why?”

December is National Stress-Free Family Holidays Month! That’s correct! For many stress-free family holidays sounds like something impossible. Additional stress of the holidays can feel overwhelming and that’s why it is important to plan your holiday activities smartly, during this unusually stressful time.

And numerous times now we hear the words that it’s important to stick with your family. Yet no-one tells us why?

Today, Goodville along with our scientific team, with significant background in the mental health field, would like to unravel a bit more sense behind the meaning and importance of our families from the psychological point of view.

It all started long ago…

Influence of our family begins way before we even come to this world. According to the data received from the latest research: Environment in which our mother lived during pregnancy strongly affects our Adult behaviour, health state and growth in general.

Prenatal stress, inflammations and malnutrition lead to changes in newborn child, like decreased brain and body weight, neuronal cell death, hormone imbalance and gene expression issues. As a result many of the consequences will affect our adult form of depression and anxiety state, growth and metabolism speed, insulin resistance, cardiovascular function and even thermoregulation of our body.

As we grow — it continues

Same stress factors that affected our growth, development even before our birth, might cause disbalance in our childhood. And that will cause other consequences.

2 Factors account for 77% causes of depression, anxiety and their consequences.

Social instability (Aggression, Alcohol etc.) and Poverty and Resource Depletion (Low Yearly Income, Unemployment rates etc.)

There are adults might think: “Well if kids don’t face these factors directly or can’t process them — they are not affected by it”

Yet according to the studies results: deprivation, witnessing aggression, racism or facing loss during childhood is the main cause of psychological disorders, drug and alcohol addictions, self destructive thoughts, diabetes, obesity and major decrease in the life-expectancy.

It’s time to put a full stop.

We understand that the last two paragraphs might have been shocking, yet we can’t free ourselves from these worries!

So if you intend to have a stress-free family holiday and maybe even a stress-free lifestyle in general, the first thing to do is: Set an Intention to Have it!

Intentions are a very important part of our lives, by simply agreeing to work as a stress-free family during the holiday season you’ll already set your family mindset for upcoming days and have decreased your chances of having a stressful week.

Use Strengths and Practise Mindfulness

It’s important to remember that you are not alone! Your family members also have their strengths and people preferably do things they are good at. Perseverance, Creativity, and Kindness can help you unlock a stress-free holiday. Find something for the whole family to do together. Some people prefer baking holiday treats, while others enjoy their time with holiday-themed crafts or puzzles.

You are unique and so your approach should be in accordance with it!

Last but not least, it’s very important to practise Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a state of focusing your mind in the present moment. And in the Goodville game MedKit advice packs we’ve got you covered! Various different pieces of advice on how you can achieve your mindfulness are present there. And even more!
You can get useful lessons from our in-game character Doctor Socool and his assistant from WHO Florence.

Goodville wishes you merry, stress-free Holidays and Happy New Year!
Let the warmth, kindness of your heart find reflection in the world around you!