Blue Christmas
By Dr. Joyce Johnson ND
Do the holidays leave you feeling more jaded than jolly? Here are some natural ways to give your mood a boost.
Most of us feel like we should be happy during the holidays. Sometimes reality doesn’t always play out the way we think it should though. The holiday season can ignite an underlying depression that may have been smoldering inside for months. Feeling down during the festive season is a common problem that can be exacerbated by a variety of factors ranging from the stress of shopping and financial woes to eating the wrong foods and dealing with family drama.
While individuals suffering clinical depression need to seek out professional assistance, those experiencing a touch of seasonal blues can usually find a natural way to boost their spirits. Here’s how to have a happy new year – and get through all the festivities that lead up to it.
Mixed Messages
Starting as early as October we are bombarded with media messages telling us to feel joyful, giving and merry. It’s easy for individuals to become programmed as to what they should expect and how they need to feel during this time. There may, however, be significant discrepancies between the image of how we should behave or feel and our actual experiences in the real world. Many individuals that suffer depression or the blues during the holidays often experience a sense of not feeling good about themselves or being frustrated about their daily life. This melancholy can lead to mild or severe depression.
Why You’re Feeling Blue
Feeling blue during the holidays is a real condition that is often exacerbated by outside conditions. This form of seasonal depression can most often result from being – or feeling – alone. It may be that an individual’s family is far away, or they live in a community without any close ties. In other scenarios, an individual’s family may be close by. However, because of hurtful past experiences they choose not to relive those moments by spending time together during the holidays. The other side of holiday blues can be caused by feelings of obligation. Any type of reunion might bring with it high levels of guilt, distrust or unhappiness. Even though the individual might feel obligated to spend time with family and friends, the get-together might bring with it fighting, agitation and/or anxiousness.
Beating the Blues Trying to avoid the holidays rarely has a positive effect on one’s mood. Instead, try these five simple solutions for putt ing a smile on your face:
1. Learn to say no
Over-committing to participate in holiday events is an easy thing to do. However, by saying no, you can easily avoid suffering from depression caused by over-commitment and its accompanying fatigue and anxiety.
2. Stay Healthy
Following the rule of “SEE” is very important during holiday season. SEE stands for “Sleeping” eight hours a night, “Eating” properly every day and “Exercising” routinely. Making quality decisions about foods consumed every day can help the body handle stressors encountered during the holiday season. This includes watching food portion sizes, maximizing daily exercise and sleeping well. When you take care of your body, you’ll feel better.
3. Avoid Financial Strains
Consider giving time instead of gifts and money. The gift of time is often just as appreciative as any costly item. Not spending money during the season will avoid breaking the bank by purchasing gifts that are generally quickly forgotten.
4. Be Around People
Research shows that individuals that spend a significant amount of time alone during the holidays tend to suffer from the blues. Getting out of the home and mingling offers an easy solution to managing the effects of mild depression.
5. Natural Treatments
The sadness felt during the holiday times can also be triggered by a variety of components in everyday life. These can include: fatigue, financial stress, emotional stress, family commitments, loss of a family member, unrealistic expectations and being away from one’s family.
One of the easiest solutions for managing stress and anxiety during the holiday season is to use natural and alternative medicines and treatments. These may include: aromatherapy, biofeedback, guided imagery, chiropractic treatments, dietary supplements, massage therapy, hypnosis, meditation, yoga and relaxation. Music can also be powerful. In fact, music therapy is proving to be an effective approach for reducing grief, stress, anxiety and fear. Music is often considered a natural tranquilizer that works well at transforming the human spirit. Essential oils can also be very powerful in affecting both mood and appetite. Essential oils are extracted from natural plants, herbs and botanicals. Much like the heavy scent of a beautiful red rose, essential oils affect a person’s olfactory nerves in the nose and tongue by triggering millions of receptor sites. The oils are used as an effective tool to boost mood. Various traditional Chinese medicines including acupuncture can easily lift the spirit, body and mind. Lastly, various natural supplements work well at eliminating mild depression. These include: folic acid, fish oil and SAMe. In addition, omega-3, B vitamins, vitamin D and St.John’s Wort have been proven effective for treating many of the symptoms of depression. Whatever you decide, it’s important to know that you’re not alone in your feelings. Just because an advertisement or story tells you the holidays should be a joyous time, it doesn’t make them that way. Sometimes just knowing that you don’t need to feel overly happy can make you feel better. VM
Acupuncture treatments
involve strategically placing fine needles on specified meridian points of the body. The needles help to rebalance your chi, increase circulation, and remove blocks of negative energy. Even a single treatment can increase vital enerin the body and transform the mental state.
10 Simple Ways to Feel Happier This Holiday Season
- Pace your daily activities
- Set realistic goals
- Create a list and mark every item off once the task is completed
- Reach out – lonely individuals should consider volunteering time
- Perform an act of kindness
- Live in the moment
- Ask for assistance while holiday planning
- Limit your consumption of alcohol
- Focus on events of today and avoid thoughts of the past
- Enjoy all the available free activities, including viewing the holiday lights HOLIDAY 2013 / vivamagonline.com
