Tackle Holiday Blues

What are the holiday blues, how to tackle holiday blues? The holiday blues are when you are feeling down and depressed that last during the holiday season. November and December can cause people to feel stressed, anxious and lonely. It’s a time where everyone is spending time with loved ones and being thankful and preparing for Christmas. This might not be the case for everyone and people will often reflect on this and start to feel down. Feelings are heightened already so it just becomes a very emotional time for some.

Seeking Help for the Holiday Blues

It’s always helpful to have someone to talk to. Finding a good therapist that meets your standards for what you need are important and can be helpful in coping through this time. You’ll be able to talk through your emotions and obtain ways that you can tackle them head on. When you talk to someone that is unbiased they give you straight forward solutions or ideas. I think it’s important for everyone to have a therapist because life happens and we all need a little help sometimes.

Set Realistic Goals for Yourself

The holidays can put a lot of pressure on you. Feelings of being overwhelmed with buying gifts, meeting with family that you maybe have not seen for a while or the pressure of entertaining and wanting everything to be perfect. Set small goals, give yourself a budget of how much you want to spend this year. Prepare yourself for seeing family by thinking about what you would like to talk to them about and catch up. When planning to entertain, make a menu and actually delegate tasks to other people. Let them know what side dish they should bring so you’re not cooking the entire dinner. Set boundaries for yourself and learn to say no so you’re not sending yourself into a full blown panic attack. Also take it day by day, one task at a time that’s all you can do.

Limit Your Alcohol

This is a time for celebrating so there will most likely be alcohol involved. Alcohol changes your mood and can make you feel lousy the next day. So set limits for yourself, maybe you won’t have alcohol at every family gathering. Pick and choose which events you would like to enjoy a drink. Also limit the amount you’re drinking, have one glass of wine instead of three. Alcohol exacerbates the feelings you may have so if you’re feeling down it’s only going to amplify those feelings.

Follow these three ways to help your holiday blues be a little easier to manage. If you feel that it is more serious, then you need to reach out to your physician. Having a mental health condition can make these situations more difficult so be sure to stay on top of your medication and take extra care of yourself. I hope these ideas help make the holiday season less stressful and remember to do what you can and don’t overwork yourself.

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