Holiday Depression: 7 Tips to Help You Through The Happiest Time of the Year

By all rights and purposes, holiday depression doesn’t actually exist. The true culprit, or culprits, are depression as a whole and stress. With the holidays comes a hustle and bustle of activity and shopping. We spend time with family, we might travel to do so, and we make arrangements with friends. We get overrun, overworked, and we sometimes find that we don’t have as many friends as we thought we did. All of this can add up to a terrible feeling of dread and even despair around the holiday season. This list, from Psych2Go, hopes to dispel the rumors and give useful tips to help you through this time of year.

1. Knowing that holiday depression isn’t a thing

Yes, you read that correctly, once again I have stated that holiday depression doesn’t exist. The danger in thinking that it does can lead someone to a misdiagnosis. Russ Christiansen goes over this in his article, This misdiagnosis of holiday and winter complaints: An unconscious shift in criteria? Christiansen poses the theory that an overdiagnosis of holiday depression causes professionals to overlook legitimate signs of depression and brush off complaints halfheartedly. Feeling as though you are more depressed around the holidays is natural when you think of all the effort and stress that goes into them. The key word here though is “more”, meaning that you notice a decided uptake in depression symptoms. “Holiday” depression doesn’t come out of nowhere and it is important to be evaluated to see just where these feelings of depression are coming from.

2. Be realistic

You may be putting too much stress on yourself. The holidays don’t have to be perfect and really, what’s the point of a perfect holiday if you’re too stressed to enjoy it? It is also important to acknowledge that not everyone is going to be able to come to your house for that specific holiday. Family members may have moved to other parts of the country and can’t travel to be with you. Siblings, or adult children, may have gotten married and are spending time with their spouse’s family. It is important to remember that those who love you will be thinking of you on that day, even if they can’t be there. It may be hard but it is imperative that you find joy in the holiday or else you’ll be angry at yourself for missing it later on.

3. Take a break

The holidays can make us feel like we are going a million miles an hour. Between the shopping trips, the present wrapping, and the food and décor preparation we can easily be doing things around the clock. This is how burn out starts. We all need to take breaks in our daily lives so why would this be any different? By taking just five minutes at a time you are effectively giving yourself an emotional reset. Take this time to listen to a favorite song, do a quick yoga stretch, or go outside and take a couple of deep breaths. Remembering to take a little time for yourself, and actually taking it, will help you immensely in the long run.

4. Identify the trickery

There is a lot to compare and contrast around the holiday season. With so much comfort and cheer in the air, it can be a stark reminder of how sad some of us are. This can give off a feeling of inflated depression symptoms. The issue here is that the symptoms aren’t worse, we just notice them more. Remind yourself nothing aside from your perspective of things have changed. If you still feel like you are more depressed than usual, please speak with a licensed mental health professional.

5. Plan ahead

This is one of those tips that honesty everyone should take heed of. Take time to plan when you will go shopping and for what you will shop for. Plan days for cleaning and for wrapping gifts or cooking things ahead of time. Allocating specific days for specific tasks will help you control the level of stress you’ll have overall. It is important not to wait until the last minute to get everything done. Waiting too long will cause you unnecessary stress which can only exacerbate any existing depression symptoms you may have.

6. Slow down

You don’t have to do literally every activity out there during the holidays. Spreading yourself too thin can make you weary with an easier stress trigger. Taking on too many things will also ware down on your attention, leaving you unable to enjoy things as it is. Pick a small handful of things that you would like to do and stick with those. This will allow you to live in the moment rather than worrying about what you need to go and do next. Take this moment to relax and just take in everything that the holidays have to offer.

7. Ask for help when you need it

This can mean anything from asking your mother to cook part of the feast or asking your physician for a referral to a therapist. Delegating tasks to others will cut down on your workload and on your stress level. You have to take care of yourself during times of high stress. Self-advocating is one of the best ways to care for yourself. Keep in mind that asking for help, no matter what the context, is not a sign of weakness. Asking for help shows immense strength and understanding of yourself.

If there is a common thread in this list it is to take care of yourself. There are many ways to accomplish this so you are bound to find one that works best for you. Many of these tips are things that we could all keep in mind throughout the year. The reason we forget them around the holidays is that of how quickly things move during that time of year. If you have never noticed depression symptoms until the holidays it is important for you to talk to your doctor. Don’t let things pile up on you. Take care of yourself.

Do you have anything you would like to share? Psych2Go invites you to comment down below.

Resources:

Christiansen, Russ. “The Misdiagnosis of Holiday and Winter Complaints: An Unconscious Shift in Criteria?” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 1985, psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fh0086103. Retrieved November 29, 2017

Hammond, Christine. “10 Reasons Depression Worsens During the Holidays.” PsycCentral.com, Psych Central , 11 July 2017, pro.psychcentral.com/exhausted-woman/2016/12/10-reasons-depression-worsens-during-the-holidays/. Retrieved November 29, 2017

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Tips for Coping with Holiday Stress.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 Sept. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544?pg=1. Retrieved November 29, 2017