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DECEMBER 2003

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Overcoming the Holiday Blues

The holidays usually are a time of cheerful decorations, music, aromas and parties, but it is easy to feel bypassed by the holiday spirit. Sometimes the weight of the year’s events, money problems, or remembrances of departed loved ones, leave us feeling alone and depressed, or even annoyed, by the good cheer and togetherness touted in television commercials and holiday movies.

Then there is the stress of traffic, parking, lines, cards, cooking, difficult relatives, and hard-to-find gifts. Sometimes those feelings translate into headaches, insomnia, guilt, forgetfulness, and the blahs.

But mental health professionals suggest there are things we can do to find the comfort we are searching for during the holidays.

“We have to drop some of our unrealistic expectations, adapt some of them to our means and situations, and reach inside ourselves and out to others to find what is truly important beyond the hype and glitter,” said Ginny Linder, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor at Shands at Vista. “We can find peace in recreating an old holiday practice or creating a new one that reflects the spirit of the holiday even better. Sometimes that means saying no to excess offers or requests, and sometimes that means saying yes to offers that are unknown or uncomfortable.”

Linder offers other suggestions about getting through the holidays:

Allow yourself and others to talk or write about losses and even recognize the importance of the missed loved one in a symbolic way or moment.

Get out and go to a movie, gallery, place of worship, or library or for a quiet walk in the sunlight and air.

Choose to make the holiday true to your values and make a donation of money or time. You can plant a tree, care for an animal or volunteer to help overworked parents, needy families, or the sick.

Treat yourself like an important guest and ensure that you are getting good nutrition, exercise and relaxation.

Make decisions about the many things that you can do. Be glad you have the opportunity to make such choices, and mindful of those that don’t have that chance.

If you or someone you know can use some extra help with stress or depression around the holidays, please call Shands at Vista Outpatient Services at (352) 265-5424.