The holiday season of Christmas is unparalleled by any other. But what gives you such a bad mood? While Christmas is a joyous time for many, it could be the most trying for you. Do you feel down because of the holidays? The question “Why do I get depressed at Christmas?” may have crossed your mind.
You’re lonely and miserable while everyone else is out purchasing presents and decorating their houses for the holidays. The stress of the holidays may be making your mental health worse, especially if you’ve experienced recent bereavement, relationship problems, or family strife. Or, put another way, it’s just not possible to be with those you love at this moment.
My Christmas Blues: Why I Can’t See the Reason for the Season
One form of sadness, called “holiday depression,” typically manifests around festive times like Christmas. The Christmas blues can be brought on by several different things. The following are some suggestions for overcoming low mood.
Expecting Too Much Too Soon
It’s important to prepare for the worst at family reunions. It’s not a good idea to go through with the get-together if you and your loved ones have just dealt with a family dispute or a death in the family. You can expect nothing except tension and sadness from this.
Be Thankful for It Rather Than Resentful
Be grateful for the opportunity to spend moments with individuals that matter to you, and express your appreciation to the cook who made the food and the family member who organised the family meeting.
Taking on Too Much
At this time of year, there are innumerable parties to attend, decorations to put up, and lists of people to buy presents for. These stresses might be especially difficult for those who already suffer from anxiety. Pressure and worry over falling short on your vacation to-do list are major causes of depression. Your need for perfection may add to your anxiety during this time of year. Take it easy on yourself. Create a practical plan, and stay as true to it as you can.
Putting Yourself in Another’s Shoes
The perfect time to take a family portrait is at Christmas. Now is when folks start to get a glimpse of your plans. Families often take vacations around the holiday season. Everyone you know will be posting images online for you to judge. Keep in mind that every household has its unique set of concerns and difficulties. The lives of those you follow on social networking sites may not be as they seem at first glance. You need to quit thinking about how other people live.
Negligent Self-Care
Taking good care of yourself regularly, including going to the gym, eating well, and caring for your skin, will be disrupted over the holiday season. It might be frustrating to fall short of your self-care goals during the busy holiday season if you’ve been sticking to a routine.
At Christmas, there’s bound to be more food than usual, and less time to burn it off. There are now more opportunities to drink alcohol socially. There is less time to work out over the holiday season.
Being unable to carry on with your usual activities might be very upsetting. You’re the only one who can keep track of everything. You need to be realistic about your availability, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to go to every single party to which you’re invited. In addition, you can pick and select the activities to suit your needs and availability. Always keep a level head and tend to your needs.
Holiday Blues and Other Mental Health Concerns
The holiday season is a major trigger for mental health difficulties. This may occur because of heightened anxiety or the knowledge that you will be apart from loved ones throughout the holiday season. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is the most frequent mental health problem. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterised by seasonal fluctuations in mood.
A Feelings-Based Holiday Survival Manual
The post-holiday blues are extremely real and can cause a lot of trouble. You should think about making some changes to your lifestyle and follow the advice below:
Get Ahead Of It
You can’t turn around at Christmastime without being invited to a party and shouldn’t let these commitments prevent you from prioritising your health and happiness.
Plan out your Christmas schedule before December arrives. Take care of yourself first and foremost. Between Christmas party planning and shopping for presents, you can squeeze in a workout and a nice book.
Strive to Prevent Family Arguments
Some poisonous relatives are simply impossible to avoid. You can’t completely avoid them, but you can train for potential encounters with them. You can help out in the cooking or keep an eye on the youngsters if the arguments get too heated.
Pay Attention to the Positive and Vital Details
It’s already a difficult time of year with the holidays. Spend more time with individuals that make you joyful. The expense of the holiday season is real. Thinking about how much money you’ll need to spend on holiday festivities can be incredibly stressful. You and your pals can do a gift exchange within a predetermined budget and share a dinner. Time spent with loved ones is what matters.
Stay Away From Social Media and Try Not to Be Too Hard on Yourself
The spirit of Christmas is one of generosity. Instead of worrying about what you can get for yourself, you should give to others less fortunate. There is no cause to feel down on yourself once you shift your attention to those less fortunate than yourself.
Recognize and appreciate all that you have. After all, we should be giving thanks to one another this Christmas. The internet will soon be flooded with joyful photos. If you think seeing these images will make you unhappy and less appreciative of your existence, you should probably stay away from them.
Accept Your Loss and Seek Support
The holidays are a particularly difficult time to lose a loved one to death. Christmas is also a time for introspection, so don’t feel guilty about allowing yourself to be sad and grieving.
Maintain tight relationships with loved ones and those who have your back. You require them at this time. When you’re feeling down, it’s hard to focus on your health. You’ll instantly feel better after being among these people since they’ll help you forget about the things that made you sad.
Eat Well, Get Plenty of Exercises, and Sunlight, and Get Some Shut-eye
Sleep deprivation has been linked to emotional distress, according to research. The holidays are guaranteed to disrupt your sleep schedule. Maintaining a regular bedtime and morning wake-up time is highly recommended.
Keeping busy should be a top goal because exercise has been shown to boost mood. You only need to walk for 30–40 minutes first thing in the morning, every day. Insufficient sunlight causes health problems for people. Any kind of light exposure helps those with the seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Overeating is a common problem, especially at holiday celebrations. Just order one serving of that one meal instead of two. Keep alcohol consumption to a reasonable level. Drinking too much of them can only make your depression worse. This season will end, but you still need to take care of your health till next year.
Plan for the Off-season and Reduce Your Obligations
There is a palpable sense of festive cheer. It’s challenging to tear yourself away from the celebrations to do anything other than celebrate. However, distracting yourself from the vacation blues by organizing some non-holiday activities can help. Get on the phone and organise a quick getaway or get-together with your pals. Neither “Christmas Getaway” nor “Christmas Dinner” should be used to describe these. Pick and choose which events you’ll attend. You need not show up for every single one. Pick events that won’t interfere with your schedule and where you feel most at ease.
Don’t Get Too Deep into the Drink
The festive atmosphere and gatherings of the holiday season can occasionally foster an environment where addictions are more likely to develop. People may experience various triggers and temptations during this time, which may help to either develop or exacerbate addictive behaviors.
The increased availability and social acceptance of alcohol and other drugs during the holidays is one of the elements that can facilitate the development of addictions. Alcohol, which can be easily accessible and is frequently encouraged as a means of celebration, is a common component of holiday parties and celebrations. Additionally, during this time, there may be more pressure to partake in social drinking or drug use, which could encourage people to engage in excessive or risky behavior.
In addition, many people may experience emotional difficulty during the holiday season. It may cause people to turn to addictive behaviors to find comfort or escape from their loneliness, stress, or sadness. While using substances or addictive behaviors to deal with difficult emotions can offer momentary relief, doing so can eventually result in the development of negative patterns and addiction.
The holiday season can also throw off routines and raise stress levels, which can worsen the development of addictions. An environment that is too demanding can be produced by the demands of planning events or hosting visitors, financial stress, and the pressure to live up to social expectations. In these circumstances, people may use addictive behaviors as a stress-reduction strategy or as a form of self-medication.
Prioritizing self-care and putting healthy coping mechanisms into place are essential to reducing the risk of developing addictions over the holiday season. This entails establishing limits and exercising caution when using alcohol or other drugs, asking for help from family members or qualified resources, and discovering alternative means of handling stress and emotions. People can navigate the holiday season in a healthy and fulfilling way by participating in activities that promote well-being, such as exercise, relaxation techniques, or pursuing hobbies.
- Problem Signs – Learn the signs of an alcohol problem.
- 12 Patterns of Denial: 1 Avoidance in Addiction – Discover the pattern of avoidance in addiction denial.
- Get Addict/Alcoholic Rehab – Find rehabilitation for addiction and alcoholism.
- How to Stop a Relapse After Making a Mistake – Learn effective strategies to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety after a slip or mistake.
- Learn about the stages of alcoholism and the progression of the disease, from early signs to severe dependency, to gain a better understanding of alcohol use disorder.
To Be Released: Unwrap Yourself
A perfect Christmas doesn’t exist. Don’t let the pressure of the holidays overwhelm you. Now is a great moment to take stock of your life and reconsider your priorities. You can get medical guidance for handling holiday blues from counsellors. Depression is a cocoon that they may help you escape from.