Holiday Blues are Common

For many people, the winter months and the holiday season are the most difficult time of year. This year, with the additional precautions people have taken surrounding Covid-19, isolation can contribute to or amplify a sense of sadness, loneliness, or depression.

It is even more important for people who experience increased difficulty with mental health during the winter to apply coping tools that assist with mood elevation. But it is also important to practice self-love that includes patience with oneself without putting any pressure to feel differently.

In other words, it's okay to feel sad, grief, loneliness, anger, and a variety of other emotions that we do not associate with holiday cheer. There can be a sense of pressure from the media and people around us to feel joyous or celebratory over the holidays. But the truth for many of us is that this time of year is a reminder of the pain and loss we have experienced.

Different people have different ways of getting through the holidays and the winter, and as long as those ways do not include behaviors that cause harm to oneself or others, then there is absolutely no single, correct way to handle how we get through.

Using the supports we have, the healthy coping strategies we've developed, and the ability we have for sitting with our emotions without beating ourselves up for not feeling differently, we can get through the hardest part of the year, and begin the new year with a sense of accomplishment and confidence knowing that we've survived the worst. Even at the height of the most intense emotional pain, if we are able to recognize that those feelings do and will pass, or at least decrease in intensity over time, then this reinforces the need to be patient with ourselves.

What activities, coping tools, or friends do you turn to when you are struggling during the winter months? Do you take Vitamin D during the winter since there's less exposure to sunshine? Do you have a heat lamp that you sit under, imagining that you're on a beach somewhere, and following a guided visualization that includes your favorite sights, sounds, and smells from warm environments? Do you have a friend who also has a hard time, with whom you can commiserate? Maybe you do puzzles, read books, and watch movies to help you get through the harder days. Try making a list of the activities that you have found helpful. Stick it on your fridge, or someplace that is easy to refer to. When you're having a harder time, look over your list and try out an activity. Remember, when the emotions feel overwhelming, it's just about getting from one minute to the next. Activities that require our focus help to pass the time so that we are not hyper-focused on the emotions themselves. The goal is not to eliminate the pain, but to honor it and work through it.

If you find yourself needing some extra support, please contact Navigate and set up an appointment.

Wishing everyone some extra peace as 2020 comes to a close. Let's take care of each other, and ourselves.