Overcoming the Holiday Blues

Real life never quite measures up to the movie or seasonal card versions of the holidays. The images of love, joy, warmth and social connection depicted in them often fall short of what we actually experience.

Holiday depression has been something I have personally battled for years, especially since my parents and other close relatives passed away and also because my husband and I are such a long distance away from our remaining family members.

It's not that Christmas hasn't been commercialized in the past, but there was a time when the season still held an aura of wonder for children and adults both.

Face it, folks. Nowadays, we are just plain stressed out- by pressures at our jobs and at home, by the traffic, by 24 hours of bad news on CNN, etc.  Back in the day, the holidays used to offer us a brief reprieve from our anxiety, but now they even may add to the pressures. Retailers start advertising for Christmas shopping even before Halloween begins and their television commercials keep reminding us about the number of days left until Christmas, making us feel hurried and tense. Terrorist threats make air travel even more of a hassle, but it's a necessary aggravation, for the sake of our safety.

Is it any wonder people are depressed during this time of year?

There are ways to deal with holiday depression, though.

Be yourself.

You do not have to measure up to some holiday ideal.

I know that I will never be able to equal the old-fashioned Christmases my mother and grandmother presented which, truthfully, I often miss. Once I realized that I was trying to compare myself to them and attempting to duplicate everything they did during the holidays, I decided to stop.

It's okay to be yourself. You can still keep some family traditions, if you choose, but in your own way. If you choose to celebrate in a totally different way, that's fine, as well, as long as you are doing things on your own terms.

Removing the weight of trying to offer the "perfect" holiday can take away a lot of stress. 

Force yourself to do something constructive.