You or someone you care about may be out of sorts right now. During this time of year, people should be happy and festive, and yet this time of year can be difficult for so many reasons. It is important for us all to recognize that the holidays can stir emotions in people that otherwise would lie dormant the other 11 or so months of the year.
If you or a loved one seems to be unusually sad or quick to anger right now, consider what pressures or emotions might be at the forefront of their thoughts. Some of the top reasons people become depressed during the holidays are:
- Finances are tight and therefore could limit gift-giving making people embarrassed
- Missing a loved one that has passed away or no longer in his or her life
- Feeling like a failure for not achieving or attaining his or her goals this past year
- Self-esteem issues around feeling overweight or unattractive as social gatherings approach
- Fear of not being remembered with cards, gifts or invitations to events
- Overwhelmed with the amount of stuff to do, places to go and people to please
If you are feeling sad and blue right now, know that everything will be okay. You are not alone as this is a difficult time for many. It is also okay to take time to get in touch with what is bringing you down. You might find it helpful to write out your feelings. After you get it all out, I would then encourage writing down all the positive and happy things you have to be grateful in your life. Take the time to reflect on all that is good and right in your world and allow the warm and happy thoughts to grow and overshadow the sadness you were feeling. Each time you begin to feel sad, frustrated or fall into the negative self-talk, STOP and focus your attention on the ‘good’ list.
If you are seeing signs of sadness or depression in others, be a little more patient right now. Your compassion may be what he or she needs more than anything you can say or do. The biggest gift you may be able to give that person right now is the gift of love and understanding.
Every one of us has highs and lows in life. It stinks to experience a low during the time of year when everyone is expected to be brimming with joy, but you can turn this around and make this a happy holiday season. Check out my recent blog post, Plan for a Joyous Holiday Season for tips to help you have a more peaceful holiday season filled with joyous memories. Be patient with yourself, give yourself positive self-talk, be grateful for what you have and be aware of the gift of kindness from others.
Happiest holidays to you!
Tags: depression, happiness, Holiday tips, joy, positive self-talk, sadness
Very insightful, this is the time of year that really gets to some folks. It is difficult to try to balance everything at once and this month really pulls a draw on lots of folks. Expectations are really high for the most part, and when something happens and they can’t be met, it really pulls at your heart strings. Remember as Angie say’s love and understanding , but that goes for you too, love and understand yourself.
I am sad about having the first holiday season without my grandmother, but having the rest of my family around and knowing that they all love and care about me means so much. I have had nothing and now feel like I have everything, but most important to me is my wife, and all of our family and friends. Great blog post Angie.