December 1, 2025 • 5 mins
Nick Bayer with Wedgwood Christian Services joins us to discuss how to take care of your mental health during the holiday season - and how that may look different for everyone.
More resources can be found here: https://www.wedgwood.org/holiday-mental-health-tips/
More resources can be found here: https://www.wedgwood.org/holiday-mental-health-tips/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'll admit that I snuck away at one point during
the holidays and did what my girls called dad ghosting.
It's stressful sometimes, this whole thing. This is West Michigan's
Morning News, Steve Kelly, Bretikita, Laurence Smith, Nick bay Or's
Wedgwood Christian Services with Wedgwood Christian Services, we appreciate you
(00:20):
coming in today, Nick and talking about this stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, thank you so much, and I'm really glad to
be here.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
There are a lot of things that weigh on people's minds,
and it seems like stress is a bigger thing than
it ever was. Talk to us a little bit. Let's
start with anxiety. We will share the link to get
your tip sheets, which are great when it comes to
this stuff. But sometimes getting the meal out on time,
or getting gifts or running into that one relative that
(00:48):
we really don't want to takes us to just another level.
What can we do to get through it?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah, and that's a real common problem we kind of
see with folks on the holidays and things like that,
because you know, it's something that is supposed to be
pick sure perfect. It's both you know, we see advertisements,
we see stories, there's movies, about it where it's supposed
to be something where this is a perfect happy situation,
when that's maybe not always the case. So whether you're
someone that is doing travel or possibly pro hosting or
(01:14):
different things like that, that can add an extra level
of anxiety. So different things like that is do something
that we often call safety planning. So that can kind
of be when you know, knowing your own needs and
your own limits in that maybe that's making sure there's
a space for you take a five or ten minute
break between being around a lot of people. Maybe your
(01:36):
safety plan is that you need to be around a
lot of people and having making sure you're in those
spaces and that you know deciding what fills your cop
what doesn't fill your cop in different things like that.
So kind of going in with a game plan is
a pretty good idea A lot of times is getting
an ally with that. Maybe if you have a partner
or another family member, making sure that they know sort
of what your needs are and know that if you
(01:56):
disappear for some dad ghosting time that you're and you
know that's not that you dislike your children, it's that
you just need about five minutes where there's not noise
going around your ears all the time with that, so
kind of open communication definitely helps her. Touching there's just
so much touching, right Yeah, I tell you, I've got
a two and a four year old it and mom
and dad are touched out. I really appreciate that this
(02:22):
is a hard time too. Let's talk about grief. Yeah,
I mean, boy, that really rears its ugly head around
the holidays and that can be a tough one, absolutely,
and that is something of you know, because it's such
a time with traditions. So there's someone that you may
have lost in the year, even even a while ago
that is present, that is you see the lack of
their presence with that, so different ways to deal with
that is, you know, maybe having photos or different things
(02:42):
to make sure they're present. Sometimes that can be something
like cooking their particular meal or dish that maybe they
brought every year for something like that to support that.
A big part of grief support and something I'm really
passionate about is you know, there's this idea that when
someone is lost or someone passes away that you know,
the goal is to kind of get over them, and
really the truth is there's always going to be that
(03:03):
person sized hole in your life and you build around that,
there's never gonna be a point you don't miss that person.
So that's something that I really encourage to acknowledge that
if you know there's someone that was a real presence
during the holidays that's not there anymore, is to bring
that out of you know, talk about them, talk about
their stories, have photos of them, different things like that,
and make sure that they're still present in some way.
(03:26):
And that's that's really okay.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Nick, Your timing was perfect because we get hit with
a snowstorm first of the year. Also, the holidays were
coming off of Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas and
anxiety around that with family members. So I'm going to
ask you about seasonal depression because it is so real.
I know a lot of people that have to cope
with this. They try to get outside, they're looking for sunlight,
maybe they have a light box. What do you recommend there?
(03:49):
Because I know for my wife and I, one of
the things we love to do together more because our
kids are older, not the touching two and four year olds,
is the fact that we just love to take a walk,
whether we take the dog or whatever, as we can
talk about life, talk about our kids or whatever, and
it's just us. Yet we're getting some exercise.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, and that's that's something really hard for us Michiganders.
You know that the joke me and my dad have
is we're not going to see this sun until April
exactly exactly. And that's just that's kind of hard. So
it's you know, trying to find like kind of going
back to safety plans of finding your own ways to
fill that in. You mentioned exercising and spending time. That
could be maybe getting a gym membership and that that's
sort of walking in an indoor track or something like that.
(04:27):
That could be you know, you mentioned the light exposure
different things. It could also mean getting supportive, speaking to
a professional or journaling, so kind of bringing those things
out to the forefront of acknowledging that it's kind of
looking at you know, do I feel anxious, do I
feel poor, you know because bad things are going in
my life? Or is it because I haven't seen the
(04:48):
sun in three months? And that's something that you can
journal about, can talk about and process through and work
through and get support with that.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Wedgwood has amazing resources for you as we move forward
into the new year. We'll put a link to all
of these, including what you wrote about sobriety, which personally
for me is amazing. Associate director of Clinical Services at
Wedgwood Christian Services, could you just stay for a couple
of weeks and I feel so much better too, Nick,
(05:16):
thanks for coming in today, Nick Bayer
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'll admit that I snuck away at one point during
the holidays and did what my girls called dad ghosting.
It's stressful sometimes, this whole thing. This is West Michigan's
Morning News, Steve Kelly, Bretikita, Laurence Smith, Nick bay Or's
Wedgwood Christian Services with Wedgwood Christian Services, we appreciate you
(00:20):
coming in today, Nick and talking about this stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, thank you so much, and I'm really glad to
be here.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
There are a lot of things that weigh on people's minds,
and it seems like stress is a bigger thing than
it ever was. Talk to us a little bit. Let's
start with anxiety. We will share the link to get
your tip sheets, which are great when it comes to
this stuff. But sometimes getting the meal out on time,
or getting gifts or running into that one relative that
(00:48):
we really don't want to takes us to just another level.
What can we do to get through it?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah, and that's a real common problem we kind of
see with folks on the holidays and things like that,
because you know, it's something that is supposed to be
pick sure perfect. It's both you know, we see advertisements,
we see stories, there's movies, about it where it's supposed
to be something where this is a perfect happy situation,
when that's maybe not always the case. So whether you're
someone that is doing travel or possibly pro hosting or
(01:14):
different things like that, that can add an extra level
of anxiety. So different things like that is do something
that we often call safety planning. So that can kind
of be when you know, knowing your own needs and
your own limits in that maybe that's making sure there's
a space for you take a five or ten minute
break between being around a lot of people. Maybe your
(01:36):
safety plan is that you need to be around a
lot of people and having making sure you're in those
spaces and that you know deciding what fills your cop
what doesn't fill your cop in different things like that.
So kind of going in with a game plan is
a pretty good idea A lot of times is getting
an ally with that. Maybe if you have a partner
or another family member, making sure that they know sort
of what your needs are and know that if you
(01:56):
disappear for some dad ghosting time that you're and you
know that's not that you dislike your children, it's that
you just need about five minutes where there's not noise
going around your ears all the time with that, so
kind of open communication definitely helps her. Touching there's just
so much touching, right Yeah, I tell you, I've got
a two and a four year old it and mom
and dad are touched out. I really appreciate that this
(02:22):
is a hard time too. Let's talk about grief. Yeah,
I mean, boy, that really rears its ugly head around
the holidays and that can be a tough one, absolutely,
and that is something of you know, because it's such
a time with traditions. So there's someone that you may
have lost in the year, even even a while ago
that is present, that is you see the lack of
their presence with that, so different ways to deal with
that is, you know, maybe having photos or different things
(02:42):
to make sure they're present. Sometimes that can be something
like cooking their particular meal or dish that maybe they
brought every year for something like that to support that.
A big part of grief support and something I'm really
passionate about is you know, there's this idea that when
someone is lost or someone passes away that you know,
the goal is to kind of get over them, and
really the truth is there's always going to be that
(03:03):
person sized hole in your life and you build around that,
there's never gonna be a point you don't miss that person.
So that's something that I really encourage to acknowledge that
if you know there's someone that was a real presence
during the holidays that's not there anymore, is to bring
that out of you know, talk about them, talk about
their stories, have photos of them, different things like that,
and make sure that they're still present in some way.
(03:26):
And that's that's really okay.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Nick, Your timing was perfect because we get hit with
a snowstorm first of the year. Also, the holidays were
coming off of Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas and
anxiety around that with family members. So I'm going to
ask you about seasonal depression because it is so real.
I know a lot of people that have to cope
with this. They try to get outside, they're looking for sunlight,
maybe they have a light box. What do you recommend there?
(03:49):
Because I know for my wife and I, one of
the things we love to do together more because our
kids are older, not the touching two and four year olds,
is the fact that we just love to take a walk,
whether we take the dog or whatever, as we can
talk about life, talk about our kids or whatever, and
it's just us. Yet we're getting some exercise.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, and that's that's something really hard for us Michiganders.
You know that the joke me and my dad have
is we're not going to see this sun until April
exactly exactly. And that's just that's kind of hard. So
it's you know, trying to find like kind of going
back to safety plans of finding your own ways to
fill that in. You mentioned exercising and spending time. That
could be maybe getting a gym membership and that that's
sort of walking in an indoor track or something like that.
(04:27):
That could be you know, you mentioned the light exposure
different things. It could also mean getting supportive, speaking to
a professional or journaling, so kind of bringing those things
out to the forefront of acknowledging that it's kind of
looking at you know, do I feel anxious, do I
feel poor, you know because bad things are going in
my life? Or is it because I haven't seen the
(04:48):
sun in three months? And that's something that you can
journal about, can talk about and process through and work
through and get support with that.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Wedgwood has amazing resources for you as we move forward
into the new year. We'll put a link to all
of these, including what you wrote about sobriety, which personally
for me is amazing. Associate director of Clinical Services at
Wedgwood Christian Services, could you just stay for a couple
of weeks and I feel so much better too, Nick,
(05:16):
thanks for coming in today, Nick Bayer
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Thank you so much for having me.
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