BALTIMORE — For many veterans, the holiday season can bring isolation, painful memories, and emotional stress — challenges that can be especially heavy for those living with serious mental health conditions.
Navy veteran Lyndsey Beaver, now 41, understands that struggle all too well.
“The holidays are a time to be around family,” Beaver said.
Beaver medically retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 25 months. After leaving the military, she struggled to transition to civilian life, experiencing repeated hospitalizations and unstable living situations while trying to cope with trauma.
“I wasn’t in the right headspace,” she said.
She eventually moved from New Jersey to Maryland in search of stability, but says her mental health challenges followed her.
“I’ve been in and out of hospitals for a long time,” Beaver said.
During her lowest points, Beaver described feeling overwhelmed, unsupported, and disconnected — feelings that often intensified around the holidays.
“I guess I was moody,” she said. “There were a lot of things to process that I wasn’t having support with.”
Beaver says it took time, treatment, and the right resources to begin rebuilding her life. She eventually connected with the VA Maryland Health Care System, which offers intensive, community-based mental health services for veterans with serious mental health challenges.
Those programs focus on helping veterans remain housed, supported, and connected within their communities rather than cycling through hospitals.
Now, nearly a decade later, Beaver’s life looks very different.
“I accept life now for what it is,” she said.
She lives independently in Maryland, works as a cashier at a local supermarket, earned an associate’s degree in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design, volunteers throughout Baltimore, and cares for her dog — milestones she once thought were out of reach.
“I’ve grown very much so,” Beaver said.
For her, volunteering has become an important part of healing.
“If I have a bad day and I volunteer, that will make my day 100% better,” she said.
Support has also come through ongoing care coordinated by the VA, including help navigating daily life, maintaining stability, and managing symptoms.
Her VA social worker, Jessica Campbell, works with veterans like Beaver through an intensive outpatient program.
“We work with veterans with serious mental health issues,” Campbell said.
Campbell says the holidays can intensify mental health symptoms, making it especially important for loved ones to pay attention.
“If there’s a major change in behavior or mood, those are often red flags,” she said.
For veterans who may be struggling this holiday season, Beaver hopes sharing her journey encourages others not to give up.
“I’m hopeful,” she said.
Veterans in crisis — or families concerned about a loved one — can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.