If you’re struggling with symptoms of depression, you may find that it gets considerably more difficult to manage around the holidays. While everyone around you is feeling the holiday cheer, you may begin to feel even more isolated. You might find yourself unable to even complete daily self-care tasks, such as showering or brushing your teeth.
If you are struggling with depression, performance at work or school may begin to decline, paving the way for harmful habits to develop, such as drinking alcohol. If your depression symptoms seem to worsen during the holiday season, rest assured that you are not alone. It is not at all uncommon to experience loneliness and depression during the holidays.
Understanding Depression During the Winter Holidays
It is important to understand that there is a significant difference between bouts of sadness and clinical depression. Sadness is usually a reaction to external events, whereas depression is a clinical mental health condition that persists and recurs for a significant period of time.
When you struggle with clinical depression, you may lose the ability to enjoy life, and daily functioning may become difficult. Depression requires medical intervention to prevent feelings of apathy, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and functional impairment.
Related: New Year Depression
Signs of Holiday Depression in the Winter
The holidays are a time when many of us feel extra pressure to be happy and festive. For some, the holiday season can be a trigger for depression.
If you think you are struggling with holiday depression, here are some signs to look out for:
- Feeling hopeless, worthless or helpless: finding yourself feeling down about the holidays or comparing others’ festive mood to yours.
- Low energy or trouble sleeping: Being unable to muster up enough energy to get through the day or having difficulty falling asleep at night can both be symptoms of depression.
- Withdrawing from friends and family: The holidays are typically a time when we gather with loved ones, but if you’re depressed, you may start withdrawing from social activities and isolating yourself more than usual.
- Thoughts of harming yourself: Suicidal thoughts are not uncommon among those struggling with depression.
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions: Holiday stress can cloud your mind, which can make concentrating and decision making difficult.
All of these symptoms can easily be dismissed as the “holiday blues,” but they may indicate holiday depression. Seeking treatment promptly and learning healthy coping mechanisms for stress is essential for sustained mental wellness during end-of-year celebrations.
Related: Depression at Work
How Winter Holiday Stress Can Trigger or Worsen Depression
The winter holidays are often a stressful and emotionally loaded season. Many individuals find themselves worrying about spending time with family, reminiscing about childhood memories, and beginning to consider goals for the new year. These emotionally charged experiences unique to the holidays can be overwhelming and cause feelings of dread, despair, and disappointment. While severe depression may occur any time of year, the winter holiday season can be especially difficult for individuals who are feeling depressed.
Financial pressure, consumerism, and unmet expectations
Unrealistic expectations can create a lot of psychological distress as comparing your idealized “perfect holiday” to the reality of how things actually go can be disappointing. Additionally, gift-giving expectations during the holidays can create quite a bit of unnecessary financial stress. Even though handmade gifts are always an option, most people often opt for buying extravagant gifts. The stress to go above and beyond with your gifts can intensify when you start to compare yourself to what other people have bought for their loved ones and you feel the pressures of holiday commercialization.
Family dynamics and conflict
Navigating family dynamics during the holidays can create a lot of anxiety and stress. This can be related to unpleasant familial relationships, the awkwardness of spending time with negative family members, and having to navigate different and potentially toxic personalities. It can be challenging to try and set boundaries during familial gatherings, since many assume creating social harmony means being compliant.
Social isolation and loneliness
During the holidays, the emphasis on togetherness can feel isolating for those who do not have close relationships. Whether it be familial, a partner, or friends, if you’re not spending time with loved ones, it can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and sadness. This can be especially challenging for anyone who is elderly, single, or socially anxious, which can all create unintentional feelings of isolation. Additionally, when browsing social media during this time, seeing others post highlights of all their family get-togethers can make you feel even more isolated.
Reminders of past trauma and grief
Past trauma or difficult memories from the holidays can resurface, increasing stress levels. Reminders of grief can also be magnified around the holidays due to the nature of this time being centered around family, and without a solid support system, it can often feel isolating.
Reduced sunlight exposure
Major depressive disorder (MDD) often worsens during the winter holiday season because of reduced exposure to sunlight that can cause vitamin D deficiency, disruption in circadian rhythm, and overproduction of melatonin. Vitamin D and sunlight are critical to maintaining a balanced mood, and the change of the seasons also brings about shorter days and less opportunity to be productive. Many individuals who experience the holiday blues may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can be treated with traditional antidepressants, natural sunlight, an indoor sun lamp, or bright light therapy.
Related: Understanding and Supporting Depression in Men: Signs and Treatments
Evidence-Based Strategies for Coping With Depression During the Holidays
In some cases, people who have been clinically diagnosed with depression or SAD can find the holiday season so stressful that it causes their depression symptoms to worsen. Fortunately, managing depression during the holidays is possible by following these self-care tips.
Create meaningful traditions that support mental health
Focus on making simple celebration plans, like a potluck, movie marathon, creating holiday crafts at home, or just meeting with friends to chat over dessert. Celebrations don’t need to be extravagant — quality time often means simply socializing with loved ones or focusing on meaningful ways to celebrate.
Maintain self-care strategies during holiday season
There is growing evidence showing that our guts are our second brains. In other words, what we eat can impact our moods. Keep in mind that the holidays can be a time to allow yourself some “cheat days,” which is completely normal. However, make sure to get plenty of healthy, well-balanced foods in your diet during the winter to ensure you are getting the nutrition your body and mind need. Additionally, it is easy to want to put off exercising during the holidays when there is so much to do and prepare for. However, one of the benefits of exercise on mental health is that the body releases various natural hormones that can help alleviate depressive symptoms.
Continue mental health treatment during the holidays
It is important to continue with your mental health treatment sessions for depression during the end-of-year months. So, no matter how busy you might feel, remember to take the time to see your psychiatrist, therapist, or counselor and maintain sessions. One of the benefits of therapy is that it provides a safe space for you to work through holiday stress and potentially triggering events or family members.
Be mindful of your approach to holiday decorating
You do not have to “deck the halls” and decorate every room in your home. Instead, focus on a few of your favorite holiday decorations that put a smile on your face. Don’t forget, the more you decorate, the more you will have to take down after the holidays, which could increase your stress levels and worsen depressive symptoms.
Be patient with yourself
No one said you had to feel merry or joyous every day during the holiday season. It is normal to feel different from one day to the next. For example, you might feel upbeat one day, and down the next. Remember: it is OK to not feel OK sometimes.
Manage your relationship with alcohol and substances
Drinking can aggravate depressive symptoms and cause a decline in mental health. Furthermore, if you’re taking certain types of antidepressants, alcohol can impede its effectiveness. Instead, stick to nonalcoholic beverages or mocktails.
Pay attention to and monitor your symptoms
You know yourself and your depressive symptoms better than anyone, so pay attention to how you are feeling. If you notice your depressive symptoms are starting to surface, use appropriate coping skills, counseling, and support systems to manage your depression.
Related: Understanding and Supporting Depression in Women
Treatment for Holiday Depression
Traditional treatments for depression or SAD, like depression therapy and antidepressants, are available and often require several weeks to become effective. Many patients may work with a psychiatrist for depression for months or even years, trying to establish an effective medication management regimen. Even when effective, these antidepressants can have side effects such as weight gain, sexual impairment, cognitive dulling, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.
Individuals that may be struggling with a mental health crisis may have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide. During these crises, the extended time frame required for therapy and medications to address symptoms may not be a reasonable option.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
What should you do if your symptoms of holiday depression don’t improve?
If you notice the number of “off days” or the severity and intensity of your depressive symptoms is increasing, it is important to get the help you need. Untreated depression can be dangerous and lead to a decline in your quality of life.
Remember, you have several options available to you, including:
- Increase the number of therapy sessions you have with your therapist.
- Cut back on your holiday commitments and plans to alleviate excess stress.
- Talk to your doctor about adjusting the dosage of your medication.
- Consider alternative forms of treatment for managing your stress during the holidays, such as TMS therapy, and MeRT.
When and how to seek professional help for depression during the holidays
Many people experiencing depression or holiday stress can work with a mental health professional to manage their stress and negative feelings. Be sure to let your family or friends know that you encourage treatment and that you support your loved one with holiday depression. This can provide them with additional support and guidance during this difficult time.
Related: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for Depression
How Neuro Wellness Spa Can Support Those With Depression During the Holidays
If holiday depression is keeping you from getting into the festive spirit, call Neuro Wellness Spa today. We can connect you with a member of our compassionate care team that can review your needs and match you with an with the right mental health provider for you.
Our therapists focus on improving your thought process and can help you curate ideas for meaningful traditions to make the holidays less stressful. They expertly implement various therapeutic modalities, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). If you require more intensive treatment, we offer medication management services to help you find the best medication for your holiday blues, as well as TMS therapy.
Don’t let the holiday cheer fill you with fear, call Neuro Wellness Spa today to reframe what the holidays mean to you.