Dealing with the Holiday Blues

Dealing with the Holiday Blues

Dealing with the Holiday Blues

Feeling sad, depressed, like you lost your best friend, stressed! Well, Why? Look up at the sky, you're breathing, moving, able to get around, you have ALOT to be thankful for! Don't you just hate when folks say that when you're down?! You just want someone to sympathize, maybe even pity you a little. ADMIT IT! Well, I feel that way from time to time, and I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor! So I am empathizing with you. I want you to know it's nothing wrong with feeling sad, depressed, down, stressed! Meaning, if you feel that way, you should not be made to feel worst for even feeling sad, depressed, down, stressed! First of all, it's natural emotional responses that, if you are human, will experience them. It is all in the manner of how you manage your emotions and feelings.

Start off in processing why you are feeling the way you do. During the Holidays, when everyone's jovial and ecstatic, you may have lost a love one and is sad over the lost, or may be alone and love ones are far away, or just plain stressed out because you lost your job and have no money to buy gifts for your babies. Well, if you fit in any or all these categories, you will feel sad, depressed, down, and stressed.



So how do you deal with these Holiday Blues?

1. Recognize it's not abnormal to feel sad or depressed during this time.
2. It's OK to Cry!
3. Create new traditions for a new type of remembrance.
4.Don't try to be everything to everyone during your time of grieving! Be real with yourself!
5.Reacquaint yourself with long lost friends or love ones.
6. Get plenty of sleep and exercise!
7.Try limiting your drinking and eating, excessive drinking and eating will contribute to depression and associated guilt.
8. Spend time around the ones who care about you!
9. Limit your time around folks who just Drives You Crazy!!!
10.Do free activities, walking, donating time at a shelter or hospital
11. Keep the love one's memory alive by sharing their favorite story with others, playing their song, etc.
12.Stop, take a breather. Recognize your limitations and work with where you are. Play the hand you are dealt with. Be real with yourself, adjust to your situation, and then everyone else will adjust to your situation, too!

There is no right or wrong way of dealing with Holiday Blues. Try a few or all these examples that pertain to you, and come up with ones on your own that will be safe and healthy.

To NOTE: Do not clinically diagnose yourself! If sadness persists, long periods of crying, anxiety, stress, then please take necessary steps to see a clinically trained professional.....LIKE ME!

Happy Holidays Everyone!