Holidays are meant for making merry, relaxing and celebrating ones achievements but to others and everybody dreams about stress free holidays. Though stress and feelings of beings of being down can occur at any time in the year, having stress in the holidays can be quite challenging as it makes one feel withdrawn from the real world since the whole world seems to be celebrating and in a joyful mood except those who are affected.
Seeing others having joyous moments either in the TVs and or in the stores acts as a catalyst to the depression and reminds those affected of the good moments of happiness that they are missing in their lives. Those mostly affected by depressions during holidays are the people that are having economic difficulties, family feuds, divorce matters, feelings of loneliness or mental health issues. other major causes of depressions during holidays are;
Social isolation
This accounts for the greatest cause of depressions. Research has established that many people who suffer depression due to this cause usually have a small social interactions circle and often are not friendly to other people. Such people will always have feelings of being withdrawn from the reality and thus that loneliness leads to the feelings of being left out. When the socially isolated people see others making merry, their depression worsens and can even result to some attempting suicide or others engaging in law breaking activities.
The only way to deal with the feelings of being isolated from the world during the holidays is to reach other people out in social, political or religious events. Interacting with people can be very uplifting and also act a source of encouragement as self-awareness is realized. Volunteering to help others can also be a source joy as it will be fulfilling to see others attain happiness in their lives because of your efforts.
Attempting to do everything during holidays can be source of holiday blues because of the pressure that piles up due to being unable of achieving everything. For one to have a perfect and exciting stress free holiday, it’s good to have a good plan and meeting the self-set deadlines. Some people can also be depressed by the failure of being perfectionists as this will contribute to the feeling of being down because they will think that friends and family members will not be happy with them because they can’t accomplish the right thing at the right time. Such will affect their moods greatly.
Grieving During the Holidays
Having lost a loved one during the holiday can be a source of depression to people but finding a positive way to celebrate their memories can be quite helpful. Acknowledging ones feelings that it’s not a must for all people to be happy during holidays can also be quite helpful.
Being realistic can be very helpful. People need to understand that all holidays can’t be perfect due to continuous changes that are always happening.
The people that are greatly affected by clinical depression should be advised to seek psychiatric attention especially those who are have the persistent feelings and sadness, complete lack of sleep and hopelessness, but to those who are just having holiday blues need to practice healthy living styles approach by practicing the following; doing an exercise, drinking a lot of water, watching interesting movies and listening to music, meeting with family or friends. And I’m sure that evening out also increases stress and depressions. So many cool events are just happening around you. Come on, light up these holidays!