What are the Christmas blues?
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What are the Christmas blues?
The stress of the Christmas and Holiday season often brings on feelings of sadness and depression for many people. Financial stress, grief from missing loved ones, and more are common reasons for people to experience what we call the ‘Christmas Blues. ‘
How does Christmas affect mental health?
Difficult and stressful experiences at Christmas could make your mental health worse. Enjoying Christmas might also affect your mental health, for example if it triggers hypomania or mania. It can be harder to access services that normally help you. Some of these services may be closed during the Christmas period.
What Causes holiday stress?
Finding the time to attend every party, or feeling like you haven’t been invited to enough parties can cause stress. When you add the financial burden, travel, and visiting family members, stress can start to pile up. There’s also a desire to cram in every tradition and event to make sure each day is memorable.
Is Christmas blues a real thing?
Approximately 14 percent of Americans experience the “winter blues.” These blues can be especially overwhelming during a time of change. Christmas and New Year’s Eve often present challenging demands, from never-ending parties to family obligations. These events can come with higher levels of stress.
Why is Xmas so stressful?
The expense of gifts and food, the pressure of shopping and the expectations of the season can make Christmas an extremely stressful time. General suggestions include: Budget for Christmas so that you don’t overspend. This may mean putting money away each week throughout the year and sticking to your shopping list.
How do you handle Christmas stress?
13 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress
- Clearly picture the Christmas you want to have.
- Set boundaries.
- Avoid family conflict.
- Focus on what you can control.
- Know your role in the situation.
- Say no.
- Limit your time on social media.
- Make a Christmas budget.
What’s it called when you get depressed in the winter?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD , your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.
How do I stop my holiday anxiety?
Coping with holiday anxiety and stress
- Stress and depression during the holidays are commonly associated with:
- Exercise.
- Get enough rest.
- Find time to visit with friends and have some fun.
- Develop a holiday budget.
- Use your calendar to plan specific days for shopping, baking, and visiting friends.
- Get some fresh air.
Why is it so sad when Christmas is over?
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) describes the holiday blues as feelings of anxiety and stress that come up around the holidays and may be due to unrealistic expectations or memories connected to the holiday season. In a 2015 survey, 64% of people report experiencing the post-holiday blues.
Why do I feel so tired after Christmas?
Psychologists say that using limited holiday time can lead to resentment and your sleeping patterns are disrupted, just like normal jet lag. So you end up feeling tired and drained by the end of the festivities, when Christmas is supposed to be about families coming together to celebrate.
Why do I get anxiety at Christmas?
“But many factors help make the holidays so stressful: fatigue, unrealistic expectations, commercialization, financial constraints, and the inability to be with one’s family and friends.” Wrapped up in shiny paper with each one of these factors is the act of gift giving.
How do I avoid Christmas?
Here are nine ways to escape Christmas if it’s just not for you:
- Go to New Zealand. Queen Charlotte Sound of New Zealand’s South Island can be your view on December 25 too.
- Go to a non-Christian country.
- Go to a communist country.
- Retreat.
- Go to a party town.
- Work.
- Find a no-man island.
- Visit London’s city center.
Why can’t I enjoy Christmas?
‘Our brain does not assess how happy we are but the difference between how happy we expected to be and how happy we actually are,’ she explains. By over-anticipating Christmas, we raise our expectations of happiness and therefore feel less happy than we expected.
How can I stop being SAD?
Treatments for SAD
- lifestyle measures – including getting as much natural sunlight as possible, exercising regularly and managing your stress levels.
- light therapy – where a special lamp called a light box is used to simulate exposure to sunlight.
