Beating the holiday blues
The demands of Christmas time can increase already present symptoms of depression and anxiety
The December festive season is upon us.
Contrary to the folk who can’t wait to close the office door to enjoy a time of celebration, joy and relaxation, for those who tend to experience the holiday blues it is anything but a happy prospect.
“Holiday blues are a state of mind that is less severe than that of depression. The symptoms of holiday blues are therefore somewhat similar to depression and anxiety, but to a lesser degree,” said Hein Hofmeyr, a clinical psychologist at Akeso Clinic.
Symptoms include:
- Feeling sad and discouraged;
- Loss of interest in previously pleasurable and enjoyable activities;
- Eating more or less than usual, or gaining or losing weight;
- Having trouble sleeping, sleep more than usual or struggling to wake up in the mornings;
- Feeling slow or restless;
- Impulsive behaviours such as alcohol or substance abuse and reckless or self-harming behaviours;
- Feelings of irritability;
- Feelings of stress and anxiety;
- Lack of energy or drive;
- Feeling hopeless, helpless or inadequate (low self-esteem);
- Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things;
- Withdrawal and isolation from others; and
- Various physical symptoms
Most prone to holiday blues
The anxiety of the festive season months may even cause those that are usually able to regulate their emotions and behaviour to feel lonely and experience a lack of fulfilment, Hofmeyr points out.
According to Williams (2008) the people who mostly develop holiday blues may include:
Those that are already suffering from a mental illness. During the festive season, the demands of Christmas time can increase already present symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Alcohol or substance abusers who tend to increase their abuse of substances during the festive season. Increasing the abuse of substances may initiate more destructive behaviours that could lead to low self-esteem or poor interpersonal relationships with family members or friends.
Individuals that are spending the festive season alone. Being alone because of logistics, work or inability to travel leads to feelings of resentment against those who spend time with their families. These further increases feelings of loneliness and negative self-talk.
Individuals that have experienced the loss of loved ones or their jobs.
Individuals with a low self-esteem and who have difficulty living up to the “perfect” image portrayed of Christmas by society.
Those with a low self-esteem are further triggered by the festive season’s self-reflection ability and remind individuals of their inadequacies when comparing themselves with other’s experiences of Christmas time.
Individuals who experience anxiety because of society’s and family’s demand to spend money on entertainment and gifts. This could increase anxiety for individuals that has difficulty with performance anxiety, generalized anxiety, fear of failure and financial debt.
Those with social phobia or strained family- and social systems might experience increased anxiety because of expectations of possible social gatherings with family, friends or acquaintances.
Depression # holiday blues
“According to the Diagnostic Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM 5, 2013), depression can be classified as either disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) and depressive disorders due to other medical or behavioural factors,” Hofmeyr explained.
He said the most common features that underpin all these disorders are the presence of sad and empty feelings, irritable mood accompanied by somatic (body symptoms related to the mind and emotions) and cognitive changes that significantly affect an individual’s ability to function properly.
“The DSM 5 2013 further adds “with seasonal pattern” to their diagnosis of major depressive disorder as a timing specifier. The season pattern suggests that there is a regular timing relationship between the onset of depressive episodes and times or with seasons of the year. Authors and experts like Rosenthal and others in 1984 coined this term as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and defined it as a type of depression that occurs regularly, every (or most) autumns and winters.
“The authors argued that the main reason for it occurring mostly during the winter months is because of the lack of sunlight. It is therefore prevalent from the above statement that SAD is more prominent in countries where winter is characterised by a lack of sunlight and especially northern hemisphere countries where there winter months falls over the December, or festive season months,” Hofmeyr advised. So why is it then, that individuals in South Africa experience depressive symptoms mostly over the festive season when we have summer and more than enough sunlight?
“The DSM 5 2013 suggests that the seasonal specifier of depression does not apply to situations where the depressive symptoms could be better explained by seasonally linked psychosocial factors or stressors. It is then within this exclusion of seasonal pattern of depression where holiday depression or holiday blues exist because of the demands and feelings associated with the festive season,” Hofmeyr explains.
Treatment
Whenever the above symptoms are so severe that they interfere with individuals functioning appropriately in their family, social or work-related environments, they should seek immediate treatment.
If any of the above symptoms are present with thoughts of suicide a person should contact Akeso clinics at 0861 4357 87 or info@akeso.co.za.
“Suicidal thoughts or fantasies during this time of the year should not be taken lightly since the South African Depression and Anxiety Group reports that December has the highest rates of suicide for the whole year. This could indicate the possibility of a strong link between suicide and holiday blues or depression,” Hofmeyr stressed.
Tips to beat the holiday blues
If you are an individual that could be categorised within one of the risk factors or experience any of the symptoms discussed above, the following strategies may assist you to reduce the possibility of anxiety or depressive symptoms:
Eat well and don’t forget to exercise
Healthy eating habits together with regular exercise will reduce the chance of gaining weight, keep yourself motivated and improve your self-esteem. (Harra, 2016)
It is important to use alcohol in moderation, especially if you are prone to abuse alcohol.
Reducing your alcohol intake is not only beneficial to your health and self-esteem but also reduces inappropriate and destructive behaviours that could lead to conflict between you and those people around you during the festive season. (Harra, 2016)
Relaxation.
It is important to manage your time appropriately during the festive season.
Do not spend all your time working or preparing for the big Christmas dinner. Take time to relax, rest and enjoy the experience of the holiday atmosphere.
For assistance use relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises such as breathing, body scan or sensory observations and meditation.
Have realistic expectations.
Coping with the stress and demands of the festive season can be reduced if you approach the season with realistic expectations.
Let go of your ideas of how your Christmas celebrations should be like and be aware that it could possibly go wrong.
Rather live in the moment and be present during the special and meaningful moments.
Make a realistic budget and stick to it.
Either if you are lucky enough to receive a bonus or have saved up for the December holiday or do not fall in any of these two categories, you will benefit from careful festive financial planning.
Make a list of all the people you want to buy presents for and allocate price limits and stick to them. Another tip is to leave your credit card at home when you go shopping to prevent impulsive overspending. It is further important to also create a spending limit for the food budget.
Planning and being assertive.
Planning for the festive season can help decrease anxiety and stress. You should prepare and plan your days for shopping, visiting friends and relatives, and other activities such as the big Christmas meal.
Be prepared to say no when the demands of the festive season become too much.
Use your support network.
If you become aware of any depressive symptoms or that you are isolating and withdrawing yourself from others it may be helpful to make plans to talk to, and be around your friends, relatives or loved ones.
Volunteering and helping others can improve your self-esteem and widen your social networks.
Incorporating professional support can assist you in time when it is difficult to cope. (Williams, 2010)
Also read: Mental Health: In Our Own Words
Living and coping with mental illness
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