Holiday Blues?

December 13, 2015 – 

As we near the end of the year, we’re starting a five-week period called “the holidays.” We’re supposed to look forward to the holidays and hope that they will be a time of happiness, friendliness, fellowship, and harmony. Yet often our anticipation and excitement turns into feelings of depression, commonly called holiday blues. Symptoms can include headaches, insomnia, uneasiness, anxiety, sadness, intestinal problems, and unnecessary conflict with family and friends.

Part of what happens in the holiday season, in terms of mood changes and anxiety, may occur because of the stressfulness of holiday events. Over drinking, overeating, and fatigue may also be a culprit. The demands of the season are many: shopping, cooking, travel, houseguests, family visits, office parties, more shopping and extra financial burden. Our current recessionary economy may exacerbate the feelings for many who are already stressed out or depressed.

Here are some tools to help get your through the holiday season happily, as well as ways to prevent problems and misery for yourself and your loved ones.

1. Be reasonable with your schedule. Do not overbook yourself into a state of exhaustion–this makes people cranky, irritable, and depressed.
2. Decide upon your priorities and stick to them. Organize your time.
3. Give yourself a break; create time for yourself to do the things YOU love and need to do for your physical and mental wellness: exercise, yoga, massage, spiritual practices, taking long fast walks or any activity that calms you down and gives you a better perspective on what is important in your life. Hire this Personal Trainer is another great idea!
4. Be kind. Just be kind and smile at people or do nice things without expecting something in return; hold a door, sacrifice the front row parking spot, toss a dollar rather than a dime in the Salvation Army tin. You will feel better too.(smiley face)
5. Don’t expect the holidays to be just as they were when you were a kid. They NEVER are. YOU are not the same as when you were younger, and no one else is either. Today you are strong, confident, and optimistic!
6. Feeling like you are under scheduled or under planned for the holidays? Volunteer to serve holiday dinner at a homeless shelter. Work with any number of groups that help underprivileged or hospitalized children and or seniors at the holidays. There are many, many opportunities for doing community service. No one can be depressed when they are doing something for someone else.
7. Plan unstructured, low-cost fun holiday activities: window-shop and look at the holiday decorations. Look at people’s Christmas lighting on their homes, take a trip to the hill country, etc.–the opportunities are endless.
8. If you drink, do not let the holidays become a reason for over-indulging and hangovers. This will exacerbate your depression and anxiety. Contrary to popular opinion, alcohol is a depressant.
9. Remember, no matter what your plans, the holidays do not automatically take away feelings of aloneness, sadness, frustration, anger, and fear.
10. Most of all, if you find yourself feeling blue just remember: The choice is always yours: The sky is partly sunny, and the glass is half full and focus on our gratitude for abundance, health, hope, and the courage to face each day with hope and determination.

Of course, my favorite, #3! When you take time to exercise a great feeling of satisfaction happens after even a 30-minute session with your trainer. So if you are experiencing any of these SAD reactions, give me a call me today and I will make time to turn that frown upside down! After all, Santa Clause is on his way!!

In good health,
Bob

“Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant.” – Unknown