TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Picture this: Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and family or friends visiting. The holidays are a time of celebration and togetherness. They are often a time to take a break from our busy schedules and enjoy those around us. Although these may be the images many of us hold for the holidays, for some of us it is also a time of increased stress, depression, and loneliness.
The excitement of the holiday season also comes with extra stressors. These stressors can be factors contributing to what has been commonly been dubbed the ‘holiday blues,’ or low mood surrounding the winter holiday season. They include having unrealistic expectations for the season, such as hoping for a picture perfect get together when the reality is closer to a scene from the movie “Home Alone”; extra pressure from family and friends; increased financial strain with pressure to spend more money than is brought in; unpleasant memories including grief and anniversaries of upsetting events; cold and/or gloomy weather; loneliness due to the inability to be with family; being with family too much; and weight gain due to an excess of holiday treats. These factors add to already busy and stressful holiday season. However, they do not necessarily have to lead to mental or physical fatigue.
Extra stress and low moods around the holidays can be combated by using healthy coping alternatives. The first step to combat holiday stress is to prioritize your schedule based on what or who is most important to you. It is far too easy to focus on the busy activities of the season and neglect the relationships the activities are supposed to improve. It may be helpful to simplify the holidays by making some reductions in how much you shop, decorate, and bake so you can spend more time interacting with your family and friends. It’s also important to remember not to isolate yourself, find family, friends, and coworkers to reach out to on a regular basis and plan to be around someone for at least part of the holidays. You can invite them over to your house or out to your favorite restaurant. Despite the schedule inconsistencies that are sometimes unavoidable, prioritize keeping a regular routine of eating and sleeping to give your body the energy and rest it requires.
As part of that routine, remember to exercise regularly, perhaps including exercise as part of the holiday family and friend activities. Some ideas might be to meet up at the ice rink, go for an afternoon walk with the kids, or maybe a family laser tag game.
Despite the temptation, do your best to avoid or reduce your alcohol consumption since too much alcohol can lead to poor sleep, legal trouble, and general feelings of malaise.
Try to enter the holiday season with a spending limit and stick to it, resisting the urge to have the latest and greatest, if it is not needed.
Establish realistic expectations for holiday gatherings, knowing that things rarely go according to plan, and flexibility is key to success.
Finally, remember to practice self-care. This means pay attention to your own needs and if you feel like you need a break from family, it is probably in everyone’s best interest that you take it. These are just an example of many coping skills that can be used to make the holiday season smoother for all involved
Remember to keep using those coping skills after the holidays as well. Depression and other mood disorder rates are highest immediately following the holidays, especially Christmas (Friedberg, 1991). Finding and using healthy coping strategies before and during the holiday season can help ward off seasonal effective disorder and low mood from developing during the inevitable cold winter months.
Finally, if you feel like you need extra support, don’t be afraid to reach out to someone you trust. This can include a spouse, friend, coworker, supervisor, or first sergeant. If you think you need assistance with holiday stress, other resources available are the Chapel 734-2111, Mental Health Clinic 582-6603, National Suicide Prevention 1-800-273-TALK, Employee Assistance Program 1-800-222-0364, Family Advocacy 582-6604, Military One Source 1-800-342-9647, and ADAPT program 582-6605.
References: Friedberg, R. (2001) Holidays and Emotional Distress: Not the villains they are perceived to be. Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior. 27(4), 59-61.