The holidays can be triggering and often leave people feeling uncertain about the future. Healthcare providers often fill a critical gap for clients who lack a support system at home. Clients with less support from friends or family may experience additional stress, loneliness, or anxiety during the holiday season. Addressing these issues immediately reduces their impact on a client’s rehabilitation. Staff members at Driftwood Recovery support clients by providing additional emotional and practical support during the holidays.
Providing Emotional Support to Clients During the Holidays
Healthcare professionals play an essential role in empowering and uplifting clients during their recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) or dual diagnosis. Professionals in healthcare do this by providing emotional support to clients during the holidays. Many clients in treatment do not have family members able or willing to spend the holidays with them during the treatment process. The lack of family support may cause some clients to backslide and rely on maladaptive coping mechanisms to make it through the holiday season. Healthcare workers reduce the risk of relapse and keep clients moving forward in their recovery by providing additional support and encouragement during the holidays.
Managing Triggers and Reducing Stress
The holidays are when many people get together with friends and loved ones to celebrate the year. Past events may have involved alcohol or other addictive substances, causing clients to experience intense cravings during the holiday season. People also experience additional stress related to holiday get-togethers.
Some of the most common stress triggers clients experience during the holidays include:
- Questions from loved ones about the future
- Loneliness
- Being separated from friends or family
- Mourning the loss of a loved one
- Cravings caused by holiday imagery involving alcohol
Triggers may cause significant emotional distress and potential complications for clients in recovery. Healthcare professionals decrease the adverse side effects of cravings and other symptoms of SUD by helping clients manage triggers. Emotional support and therapeutic guidance help clients navigate holiday triggers without feeling overwhelmed or falling back into unhealthy patterns.
How Do the Holidays Impact the Mental Health of Clients in Residential or Outpatient Care?
Mental health directly affects physical wellness and a person’s outlook on life. Individuals in outpatient and residential care may face different challenges during the holidays. For example, clients in residential programs may miss being able to travel to visit loved ones for the holiday, increasing feelings of isolation or shame. However, clients in outpatient programs may struggle to meet family expectations or feel overwhelmed by stigmas and triggers they encounter during holiday events. Healthcare professionals help mitigate these issues by preparing clients in advance and ensuring they have the skills to effectively cope with holiday-related stressors. Addressing mental health needs helps clients remain safe and move forward in their recovery journey.
Family Pressure to Meet Recovery Goals
Intense family pressure to meet recovery goals is one of the most significant stressors for many clients during the holidays. Often, families are unaware of the realities of addiction, and they may believe a few weeks of treatment will “cure” their loved one. However, the disease of addiction takes time and effort to manage. Clients may struggle to communicate their experiences with loved ones or worry about letting their family down. People often experience shame, regret, anger, and other strong emotions about their choices and current circumstances during the holidays. Healthcare professionals provide an outside perspective and encourage clients to continue healing.
Making The Holidays a Positive Experience for Clients
Everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and encouraged during the holidays. Healthcare professionals help clients by making the holidays a positive experience. Putting in the extra effort to make every interaction uplifting and compassionate may inspire clients and make day-to-day tasks more enjoyable for healthcare workers. Mindfulness-based exercises and techniques improve positivity and reduce stress management. According to Cureus, “Mindfulness-based interventions have [. . .] demonstrated benefits.” For example, “Healthcare workers in qualitative studies have described benefits for themselves, their colleagues, and their patients, such as nurses who reported improvements in coping with workplace stress and developing feelings of inner calm.” Staff members at Driftwood Recovery use mindfulness-based techniques to improve productivity and provide higher-quality service to clients in rehabilitation.
Celebrating Milestones in Recovery and Building Deeper Connections
Healthcare workers play an important part in motivating clients to make essential lifestyle changes that support lasting recovery. Celebrating milestones with clients during the holidays can uplift their spirits and give them additional motivation. The staff at Driftwood Recovery treats every client like a family member and takes steps to celebrate every single success in treatment, no matter how large or small. Focusing on the positives helps clients and clinicians remain healthy and purposeful in their actions. The holiday season is an excellent time to check in on treatment progress and make new goals for the future. Staff at Driftwood Recovery use the opportunity to help clients focus on the future.
Treating clients during the holidays requires healthcare workers to dedicate more time to clients who may not have others to support them. Clients may feel more lonely and separated from others if they are forced to attend residential treatment during the holiday season. Healthcare workers encourage those individuals by practicing empathy and compassion. The holiday season often significantly increases client cases, putting stress on treatment facilities and individual staff members. Driftwood Recovery provides additional services to help clients and staff navigate holiday-related stressors successfully. By addressing staffing concerns, management ensures clients receive the highest level of care. To learn more about our facility and thriving sober community, call our office today at (512) 759-8330.