How to Avoid Holiday Depression

Heard of Holiday Depression? The holidays are not only a time of happiness, but for many Christmas depression is a yearly dread. Read on to learn how to beat the winter holiday blues.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A "Sun Light" for Seasonal Affective Disorder

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   Photo courtesy of glendali via scx.hu

   First, focus on the positives. It sounds cliche, but people who try to think positively generally have a better time and feel better emotionally. Don't feel bad because you only have $20 in the wallet, feel good you have cash for a movie and a decent egg mcmuffin.

2. Buy a "Sun Lamp." There are lights designed for people who have seasonal affective disorder, which is a major part of a lot of holiday depression. Many people are naturally more depressed in the winter months, and 30 minutes in front of one of these lamps can make a huge difference (as someone who lived in Alaska for 3 years, I can attest to how amazing a difference these make).

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   Courtesy of lusi via: www.sxc.hu

   Find company. Most holiday blues and holiday grief is due to loneliness during the holiday seasons. Ignore "Misery loves company." Just having people around is a huge boost on holidays...and more people means more potential mischief to hold off the seasonal depression.

4. Focus outward. If you're bummed, feeling sorry for yourself will only make things worse. If there's nothing to do, go volunteer to help some people or randomly buy a meal for some college students. Helping others makes you feel great about yourself and focus on the positives.

5. If you live in a city, head for an area like China Town, or any neighborhood with a large ethnic group that doesn't celebrate Christmas. It will be business as usual, so see the sites, enjoy being around people, and try something new.

6. Plan for that kick butt party you're going to throw next year that everyone you know will be invited to. If you're not that ambitious, find a party to crash :)

Tips & Warnings

• Get out of your apartment. Alone on the holidays with shades drawn and lights off is not a good idea.
• Do something different. Always wanted to do something goofy but you cared too much what others thought? Don't. Have fun. Crash a party. And enjoy!
• Find other people. That might be the most important part of dealing with Christmas depression is company.
• If you are really depressed and are even thinking about suicide, call a hot line or find help. There's always reasons to keep going.
• All the advice in the world won't do you any good if you don't figure out what the root cause of your holiday blues are and deal with it directly.

Resources

• Things to Do on Christmas in New York
• Holiday Depression Aid
• Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: Self Help Book