Beating Holiday Blues

Mental Health Tidbits and Tools

by Cindy Anderson | Nov 19, 2018 | Counseling | 0 comments

Holidays were created in the spirit of celebrating or honoring significant events in communal life. Some holidays are rooted in spiritual traditions or beliefs, and others are created to honor people or celebrate a significant event. Different cultures, religions and communities create traditions for their holiday celebrations, and in some cases, there is a wide variation of traditions and practices.

Each of us has our own memory of the holidays: good, bad or ugly. Often there are very nice memories of holiday celebrations, and we enjoy our traditions. But for some, the holidays bring up ugly memories. Or, our present reality is very different from the pleasurable memories or expectations.

Should loneliness, ill health, poor relationships, career dissatisfaction be on your doorstep this holiday season, take heart. Pay attention to how you are feeling. Pay attention to the activities you have chosen. Is this what you really want to be doing?

Many of us cannot change our circumstances. But, there are things we can change.

Here are some tips for the holidays, from Mayoclinic.com, from several years ago:

Acknowledge your feelings. Take time to cry or be sad; or if you are anxious about preparations, or a relationship, honor those feelings.
Be Realistic. What are you able to do, and what should you let go of? You can create new traditions, but retain a few of the old ones.
Reach out. Research events in the community. Maybe there’s something you could attend, or for which you could volunteer your time.
Set aside differences. Others may not live up to our expectations. If we need to spend time with a family member, and things don’t go well, acknowledge that they are also under stress, possibly depression.
Stick to a budget. Years from now, it won’t matter how much we spent on a person or event.
Plan ahead. How much can you do (baking, shopping, attending events, etc.) or how much can you spend?
Learn to say no. You don’t have to attend every event, or meet every request.
Stay healthy. Get plenty of sleep and don’t over indulge in food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc. It only adds to your guilt.
Take a breather. Go read, stargaze, listen to music. It will help calm you down, and regain your focus.
Seek professional help if you need it. We all can benefit by a objective listener, who isn’t involved in our day to day lives.

You might be a person for whom the holidays are really horrible. They bring back memories of death, abuse, or huge family conflict. It is always an option to NOT celebrate the holidays. OR, celebrate minimally, or in a completely different way than how you usually do.

Know that you are not alone, if you don’t enjoy the holidays. It seems as if everyone else is having a wonderful life, but for most, there is at least some negative aspect to this time of year. It will help you feel better to create one positive thought, or do one positive thing for yourself or others.

Wishing you comfort, peace, and love during this holiday season!

Cindy Anderson, Executive Director

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