The holiday blues are real 2022

Christmas is a wrap! Then we’re supposed to be basking in the afterglow of the festive cheer, so why do many of us suffer from holiday blues?

The gifts have been given, the dinners served, and the tree packed away. But despite all that festive cheer, many of us feel more physically and emotionally drained than we did the whole year before.

Could this be because a quarter of all holiday family reunions don’t go as hoped? Psychologists claim there are several factors that can make Christmas the stress fest of the year. First, there is the enforced coming together for concentrated periods of family members who don’t normally live together. Add to this the disappointment of expectations not being met, not to mention the radical shift in one’s habitual daily patterns.

The notion of the ideal family may be alive and well in Tinseltown. However, venture beyond the happy façade of most real-life families and what you’ll most likely find couldn’t be further from the truth.

What is Holiday Depression?

While “holiday depression” is not a clinical diagnosis, the stress, anxiety and sadness of the season can contribute to a more long-term condition, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). And for those with mental illness, many say it becomes “a lot” worse (24%) or “somewhat” worse (40%) during the holidays.

Stressors unique to the holidays can include:

·         Spending more money than usual (or feeling pressured to do so).

·         Having more social or familiar obligations than usual.

·         Pressure to maintain happiness or be in “the holiday spirit.”

·         Having more opportunities – and permission – to eat, drink and otherwise indulge.

·         Having more intense travel plans, accompanied by all the worries about being on time and not forgetting the presents and the weather that will affect the trip.

The holidays can also dredge up other uncomfortable feelings around loneliness and loss.

Handling holiday blues

An important step in fending off the holiday blues is to put your feelings into context: Is what you’re experiencing just a passing episode of tension and sadness? Or do you feel it beyond the holiday season, as well?

Many people might notice symptoms such as low energy, fatigue, guilt, increased use of alcohol or drugs, sleep disturbances, increased or decreased appetite, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating or making decisions and feeling hopeless or pessimistic. In more serious cases, symptoms may build to a full-blown depression that may include suicidal thoughts.

If your feelings become impairing or chronic or excessive, you should seek professional help.

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