Ashley Dennis, one of frontier Regional’s school nurses, shares some tips on how to stay mentally healthy over the holidays. The first tip she gives is to take a walk. It may be crowded at a house, and fresh air never hurt anybody. She suggests to ask a family member, and maybe even take the dog along if you have one. Second, she advises to set ground rules at a house whenever the family is over. These rules can be anything from no shoes in the house to no conversations regarding politics. This way, it is less likely arguments and possibly tension will occur. Next, Ms. Dennis told me that she commonly comes across posts on social media about someone’s life. She admits that even she will sometimes become sad, due to comparing her celebrations/traditions with the seemingly perfect ones presented on social media. Another tip she has is to spread kindness. She proposed several ideas, one of which is making a hot cocoa to bring to your mailman. She stated that one small action will make you, as well as the person you are kind to, feel happy. Lastly, as a nurse and mother, she encourages everyone to washtheir hands, as “someone who is sick during the holidays will not have fun!”.
