Holiday Blues, The Infamous Holiday's Wrecker

Throughout the month of November until December are the months of joy, happiness, and rejoice. However, for some other people, it can be a period of painful reflection, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. The holidays are often a time of high emotion and demands, which can leave a lot of people feeling stressed and exhausted.

Holiday Blues, by definition are temporary feelings of anxiety or depression during the holiday season. Holiday Blues is usually associated with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a kind of depression that appears at certain times of the year. As we all know, holidays are seasonal. Most holidays are put into one period of time, from November through to December. These are the symptoms of Holiday Blues.

Tiredness, lack of energy, or motivation
Tension
Changes in sleep patterns
Frustration
Loneliness or isolation
Sadness
A sense of loss

If you have these symptoms, then you are going to want to cope with them. Here are some tips on how to cope with Holiday Blues.

Acknowledge your feelings

It is ok to let it all out. You aren’t expected to be happy all the time. You can’t force a laugh just because it’s the holiday season.

Be realistic

Holidays don’t have to be perfect. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well.

Don’t isolate yourself

It can be a major risk factor for depression. It’s also important to spend time with supportive, caring people. You may also want to have a conversation with someone you trust about your feelings around the holidays.

Set aside your differences

Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all of your expectations.

Double-check your holiday expectations

You can cut on being a Pinterest freak during Holidays, they don’t have to be so perfect all the time. Before you do your gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget.

Learn to Say The Word ‘No’

Limit yourself, you don’t have to fill up your schedule with all those holiday events if you don’t want to. Also, small favors for friends can morph into huge projects that you didn’t anticipate. Avoid overcommitting by knowing your limits.