sethgillihan

I’m often surprised how eating well, exercising, and sleeping well have become somehow “alternative” treatments, and that we’re surprised they help our brains and bodies be at their best! There does seem to be a growing recognition of the importance of having a healthy foundation for our mental health, whatever other treatment may be involved. Thanks for the question!

I would recommend thinking about what draws you to psychiatry. If a person wants to do psychotherapy, for example, it’s worth considering other fields in mental health, as well, since few psychiatrists do a lot of psychotherapy. But if going to medical school and being able to prescribe medication is a crucial part of what you see yourself doing, then psychiatry could be a good fit.

I would consider whether it may be useful to get individual treatment, as well, if you’re not at present and it’s available to you. Some people find groups really helpful and others need the more individualized and intensive focus that one-on-one treatment offers. It may be that you’ll benefit more from a certain approach over another, like cognitive behavioral therapy, for example. I wouldn’t expect depression to be gone after a week or two, but by then I would want a person at least to feel like they’re in the right place and on the right track. All best to you.

I don’t know how common this is but there can be the belief that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” I think of it kind of like having a baby, in the sense that there are all kinds of expectations for how amazing and beautiful it will be and how we’ll be over the moon. Those things might happen, but the holidays (and having a newborn) can be extremely stressful, lonely, overwhelming, etc. So knowing what we might be in for as we head into the holidays can help us manage our expectations, and to plan accordingly.

Very timely question…. Awareness is a huge part of it—knowing what tends to be triggering for you during this time. Is it being overwhelmed and overcommitted? Missing people who have passed on? Whatever the case, in general it’s the same things that help us to feel well at any time of year: eating as sensibly as possible (difficult during the holidays, I know), getting adequate rest, being connected to the people we care about, having rewarding activities in our lives, both fun and productive, and really being present in our lives.