Protecting Mental Health and Bipolar Stability During the Holidays 🎄🧠

Holiday breaks can be joyful, but they can also quietly disrupt mental health. For people living with bipolar disorder, changes in routine during holidays can increase the risk of mood symptoms and relapse.

No school.No work.Later nights.Sleeping in.

These shifts may seem harmless, but they can interfere with the body’s natural rhythms, which play a powerful role in mood regulation.

Why Daily Rhythm Matters ⏰

Research behind Social Rhythm Therapy shows that keeping certain daily activities at consistent times helps stabilize mood and lowers relapse risk in bipolar disorder.

Your body and brain rely on predictable timing to regulate sleep, energy, and emotions. When that timing shifts suddenly, especially for several days in a row, mood symptoms can become more likely.

The goal is not perfection.The goal is protective consistency.

Four Daily Rhythms That Matter Most 🌱

1️⃣ Time Out of Bed

Waking up at roughly the same time every day is one of the strongest ways to regulate your internal clock. This matters even on weekends and during school or work breaks.

Consistent wake time helps stabilize sleep, energy levels, and mood.

2️⃣ Time You Start School or Work

When school or work is on break, the structure disappears, but your brain still needs a “start of day” cue.

Keeping a similar start time for a replacement activity like a walk, shower, reading, or quiet task can provide the structure your nervous system is used to.

Structure supports focus, motivation, and emotional balance.

3️⃣ Time for Social Connection

Regular social contact helps regulate emotions and reduce isolation.

This does not need to be long or intense. A daily text, call, or check-in with a trusted person at a similar time each day can be stabilizing, especially during holidays when routines shift.

Consistency matters more than duration.

4️⃣ Time for Dinner

Eating at a similar time each day helps cue sleep and energy rhythms.

Holiday meals may run later, and that’s okay. When possible, keeping dinner within a predictable time window or having a light snack at your usual dinner time can help maintain rhythm.

Here are Some Things You Can Do Around the Holidays

1️⃣ Protect a non-negotiable wake-up window

• Pick a 1–2 hour window (for example, 8–10 a.m.) instead of a single exact time.

• Even if you go to bed late, still get up within that window.

• If you need more rest, take a short afternoon nap (20–30 minutes), not sleeping in.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT !!

2️⃣ Create a “holiday version” of structure

If school or work is off:

• Replace it with a stand-in routine at the same time:

  • Morning walk

  • Shower + getting dressed

  • Journaling, reading, or light chores

• Keep the start time similar to when school/work normally begins.

Think: structure, not productivity.

3️⃣ Schedule social time on purpose (even if it’s small)

• Pick regular check-in times (e.g., call a friend every evening at 7).

• If holidays are crowded, still protect one calm connection with someone safe.

• If social energy is low, texting counts, consistency matters more than length.

This helps stabilize mood without overstimulation.

4️⃣ Anchor dinner, even if the meal changes

Holiday meals are often later, that’s okay.

• Try to keep dinner within a 2-hour window most days.

• If a big late meal is planned:

  • Eat a light, earlier snack at your usual dinner time.

• Avoid skipping dinner entirely.

This keeps sleep signals from getting confused.

5️⃣ Use “bookends” to signal day and night

Even if the middle of the day is chaotic:

• Morning bookend: same wake-up routine (light, breakfast, movement)

• Night bookend: same wind-down routine (dim lights, phone off, calm activity)

Consistency at the edges helps your brain tolerate flexibility in the middle.

6️⃣ Plan for disruptions before they happen

• Look ahead at holiday events and ask:

  • “Which days will be hardest?”

  • “What’s my backup plan?”

• Decide in advance:

  • latest bedtime

  • earliest wake-up

  • when you’ll step away if overstimulated

Planning reduces stress and mood swings.

7️⃣ Be gentle: stress about routine can backfire

Missing a routine one day won’t cause an episode.What matters is:

• returning to anchors the next day

• not letting one off-day turn into a week

Self-compassion is part of stability.

Progress Over Perfection ✨

One late night or one off-schedule day will not cause a relapse. What matters most is returning to your core rhythms as soon as possible.

Think of these routines as anchors, not rules. Even when the rest of the day changes, protecting a few consistent times can help your body and brain stay grounded.

During the holidays, consistency is not restrictive.It is protective.

If you feel yourself struggling over the holidays, please reach out to your provider or one of us via Spruce (if you're a patient)! We have our phones available and our apps turned on! We are here for you!