Holidays Got You Down?

Walk into any store today and you will no doubt see aisles lines with holiday decorations, encouraging you to channel your inner Martha Stewart and tap into the Pottery Barn part of your brain to bring your home to life with Christmas cheer.  Ugh!  It’s exhausting just to think about it!

We’re entering the five week period commonly referred to as the “holidays”.  Commercial advertising will have us believe there are families happily gathered around a table full of artfully designed gourmet dishes worthy of Food Network while at the next house, snow is peacefully falling as a luxury SUV is revealed by an ever adoring and extremely handsome husband.  Heck, he even found a big red bow to tie around that sucker!

For some, this holiday season is not about anticipation or excitement; it is the onset of anxiety and/or depression.  This widely recognized affliction is known as the “holiday blues”.  During this time of year, we tend to overextend ourselves by eating more, drinking more and attempting to exceed the limit of the 24 hours that one day offers.

The symptoms tend to be situational, in that they are present during this time of year and dissipate after the New Year begins.  For people already living with anxiety or depression, the holidays exacerbate their symptomology.  Common indicators of the “holiday blues” are sadness, uneasiness, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, headaches and intestinal upset.  Be mindful of situations leading to stress related to cooking, cleaning and shopping, the financial burden of gifting, entertaining houseguests and traveling and the social scene of office parties and family gatherings.

The days of pine scented candles and candy canes are fast approaching.  By proactively planning for the hectic activities, you can minimize the pressure you feel to be the holliest and jolliest host of all time.

Prioritize your schedule and stick to it!  Don’t be deterred by the lure of the Norman Rockwell painting stuck in your head.

Saying “No” is perfectly acceptable to prevent mental and physical exhaustion; you can only bake so many cookies and participate in so many work/social related activities.  Don’t “party hop” so you can “make an appearance”; people aren’t waiting on pins and needles for your arrival.

Create “me” time.  Enjoy a peppermint mocha while window shopping and sing along to the Christmas music rather that have it be the pestilent noise in the background.  Don’t abandon your normal routine of exercising and chatting with friends.

Avoid the trap of revisiting Christmas past.  Either let go of family grudges or choose not to attend an event that has the potential to create tension.  Give yourself permission to do what’s best for you.

If you’re feeling disconnected around this time of year, volunteer your time and talent.  There are food pantries, homeless shelters and nursing homes and hospitals full of people who would love to share some holiday cheer with you.

Above all, be realistic.  I’m going to say it again (maybe more for me than for you); Be Realistic.  You can only be in one place at a time, the presents under the tree do not need to be color coordinated, your Christmas cookies need not be works of art and no one will notice the purposeful placement of each and every ornament on your tree.