Thanksgiving 2020: How to protect mental health

With travel restrictions and quarantines in place, we will need to adjust.Although the pandemic has affected everyone in different ways, there seems to be little doubt that the average mental health of the population in the United States has declined.At a time when family and friends are normally the closest, this year, they will be farther away. Looking after our mental health in a proactive way is more important than ever as we enter the holiday season.Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.In this Special Feature, we will look at ways to fend off the seemingly inevitable blues of a physically distant Thanksgiving. For instance, one study concludes, “Sleep loss amplifies the negative emotive effects of disruptive events while reducing the positive effect of goal-enhancing events.”In other words, if we do not sleep enough, we are more likely to feel negative when things go wrong, and we are less likely to feel good when they go well.Similarly, another study found that “individuals become more impulsive and experience less positive affect after a period of short sleep.” Once again, reduced sleep duration appears to dampen mood.At a time when the mood of the nation is at a low ebb, sleeping a little extra might be a relatively simple way to tip the scales in our favor. It is true that neither exercise nor sleep can replace a hug from a friend or relative, but if our mood is momentarily boosted or our overall average mood is upped, it might help us manage disappointment better and reframe this difficult year.For many people, loneliness has already been a significant feature of 2020. To protect your own mental health, make your own decision and do not allow yourself to be railroaded into doing something that you consider to be too risky.The safest way to enjoy Thanksgiving this year, unfortunately, is to do it virtually.Individually, the tips outlined above cannot replace the good times we expect from Thanksgiving.