What You Should Know About Holiday Depression
There can be many great things about the holidays. Time off from work, spending time with loved ones, good food, presents and more presents. For a lot of people, these aspects of the holidays are not great. They bring a sense of dread, not joy. If this is your experience, you are not alone! Continuing reading to learn more about holiday depression and how to cope.
Holidays and Depression
It’s common to experience the “Holiday Blues" once November and December hit. There are many reasons you might feel sad or depressed during this time. It's important to acknowledge that the holidays are not always fun and happy for people. Being around family can be stressful. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one. You may suffer from financial stress. You might experience increased stress at work. Being sad or depressed does not necessarily mean you have a diagnosis of depression.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is classified as mood changes that are consistent with the changes of the season. Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include feeling sad or down, loss of interest in activities, low energy, problems with sleep, difficulty sleeping, craving carbohydrates, feeling hopeless or guilty, and having thoughts of not wanting to live. If you experience thoughts of suicide, contact your local emergency room, call 911 or the free suicide hotline. Most people with SAD experience symptoms in the fall and winter. There are some people whose symptoms begin in the summer months.
Holiday Stressors and Holiday Grief
For some people, being around family or friends can feel supportive and loving. For a lot of people being around people, especially family, feels stressful, chaotic, and overwhelming.
Holidays can bring a sense of grief when we can not be with the ones we love. After the loss of a spouse, child, parent, pet or loved one, holidays can feel more like a burden and less like a celebration.
One of the main aspects of the holiday season is eating and drinking alcohol. You may love baking with family and friends and eating your favorite holiday dishes. You might also struggle with overeating or drinking during the holidays. It's common to gain more weight or drinking more than you intend to. This can can contribute to low self-esteem and guilt.
In the media, holidays marketed as time of love and connection. If you are in a romantic relationship, you may feel more connected to your partner during this time. You may also get engaged or show off your relationships more during this time on social media. If you are single, seeing couples on social media and being alone on the holidays can feel lonely. It can also be frustrating when family members may ask "why are you still single?"
Around the holiday season, there can be unrealistic expectations to buy gifts and spend money. Recently, with the pandemic and inflation, money has been more and more scarce. You may experience shame and guilt about not being able to provide gifts to your family and friends.
Coping with Holiday Depression
1. Light therapy. There are "happy lamps" you can buy that help to improve depression symptoms. It is best to use the light therapy within the first hour of waking up in the morning for about 20-30 minutes.
2. Be kind to yourself. It's common to put yourself down when you are feeling depressed with statements like "I shouldn't feel this way" or "I should be happy, it's the holidays!" It's important to be kind to yourself, especially when you are feeling depressed.
3. Spend time with supportive people or by yourself. There may be an expectation that you spend time with your family during the holiday season. It is okay to spend time with people who are not blood related or by yourself! The most important thing is to take care of yourself.
How to Support a Loved One with Holiday Depression
1. Validate their feelings. No matter why someone is feeling down, it's helpful to validate their feelings.
2. Listen. It's helpful to listen to someone when they are feeling depressed. Try not to offer advice, judgment or criticism.
3. Make plans together. Without pressuring or forcing your loved one, ask them to do something enjoyable. You can use this DBT pleasant activities list for ideas!
Start Depression Treatment in Detroit for Holiday Depression
Holiday depression is real and you do not have to suffer alone. By contacting a depression therapy at Embodied Wellness, PLLC you can learn ways to cope with holiday depression. If you are located in Detroit, Ann Arbor, or anywhere else in Michigan and ready to start meeting with an online therapist, we are here for you! We can provide you with specialized online counseling at a time and place that works best for you. In order to get started follow these easy steps:
Reach out for a free consultation with one of our depression therapists
Start depression therapy
Begin feeling better today!
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