WRAP Your Holiday Season

By Carol Bailey Floyd

Those of us who use WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) know how handy it can be during the holiday season.  It can even be helpful if we are not celebrating any holidays at all, but have to be in the midst of other people’s preparations.  There can be a lot of extra stress at this time of the year and using “wellness tools” can help keep us on track so we can enjoy the best parts of the season.  Baking, singing, decorating, and visiting friends and family are all wellness tools that can make the holiday chores more appealing. 

What is our holiday like when it is well?  Just remembering the best parts of past holiday seasons can help us remember our goals and coordinate this year’s festivities more effectively.  Doing our “daily maintenance” (those things we do every day to stay in balance) will help assure us that we don’t get off track and lose our energy or good will.  There are also things we might do every day to keep holiday plans rolling along so we don’t get too rushed all at one time.

Identifying holiday triggers can really be helpful so we can immediately counter with positive action plans.   For instance, if you didn’t get the holiday bonus you had counted on, you might want to draw names this year, adjust your shopping list, or make some presents.

There are holiday early warning signs.  Some obvious ones would be lack of energy, not getting enough sleep, or feeling agitated.  As soon as you notice these indications, you can get your action plans into gear, using your wellness tools as a resource to make sure that you get feeling better fast!

The holiday season is a terrific time to exchange favors with your support system.  There are probably things they need help doing that might be fun for you to help out with and vice versa.  This is also a wonderful time of the year to volunteer.   As you reach out to others, that holiday spirit makes every other thing you need to do seem a lot easier.

Even if you don’t write a special WRAP for your holidays, you can remember to pay attention to your regular WRAP.  One of the best things about WRAP is that it is excellent for challenges and the holiday season, while it is a lot of fun, also can contain a lot of frustrations.   As you are adorning your home with festive decorations, planning holiday events, and wrapping your gifts – don’t forget to WRAP your holiday season, too! 

Carol Bailey Floyd is Program Director of Mental Health Recovery & WRAP®. If you would like to contact her with your WRAP story, ways you or your organization use WRAP or other ideas for the next newsletter, please email: carol@mentalhealthrecovery.com