Coping with Anxiety and Depression During the Holidays – Part 2
Enjoying the annual holiday season can be challenging if you deal with anxiety or depression. You might generally want to feel the joy and happiness that everyone around you seems to so freely embrace. But for you, the holidays just aren't everything you wish they were. We want you to know that your holidays can be better.
This post is the second in a two-part series designed to help people cope with anxiety and depression at a time of year that can be unusually stressful. The first post in this series discussed how anxiety manifests itself and ways to cope with it. This post will take a look at depression from the same angle.
What Holiday Depression Looks Like
In the context of offering depression therapy, one of the things we try to do is help clients understand what depression looks like for them. In other words, it is good to recognize how depression manifests itself. It can take on many forms.
During the holiday season, the two things we see most often are social isolation and grieving. Both are common manifestations of depression that we see more of at this time of year.
A person struggling with depression may already have a very small circle of friends to begin with. Limiting one's exposure to social activities is not unusual. During the holiday season though, depression can exacerbate things. The end result is withdrawing and a sense of isolation.
As far as grief is concerned, the holidays are often a reminder of loss. A person struggling with depression might long for past days when things seemed happier.
Coping with Holiday Depression
Recognizing depression is the first step in effectively coping with it. Whether through depression therapy or just reading this post, maybe you have recognized that you struggle with social isolation and grief. We would like to offer some suggestions for coping, suggestions that might help you feel better:
Volunteer – Volunteering is a terrific way to overcome both social isolation and grief. Volunteering gets you involved with other people. It gives you the opportunity to put a smile on someone else's face and bring a smile to yours as well.
Starting a New Tradition – Grieving the past is very common. A good way to eventually set that grief aside is to create something new for the present and future. So start a new holiday tradition. Make it something you will look forward to every year.
Continue Healthy Habits – Just as we mentioned in the previous post, make a point of continuing any healthy habits you are already practicing. Those healthy habits give you something positive to focus on.
Stay Active – Staying active during the holiday season offers the opportunity to channel your physical and mental energy into things you enjoy doing. Do not run yourself ragged but embrace activities that keep you moving and involved.
Reach Out – Whenever you are starting to feel overwhelmed, make a point of reaching out to someone you trust. Hopefully there is a family member or friend who can fill that role for you. If not, consider professional depression therapy.
If you do struggle with depression during the holiday season, know that you are not alone. But also know that there are plenty of people who care about you and want you to feel better. They want you to experience the same joyous holiday season that they do.
If we can help, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We can offer you professional therapy in a comfortable and safe environment. Contact us to learn more.
