Guest Author - Carissa Vaughn

Welcome ladies and gents to Mental Health! The holiday season has fast approached hasn’t it! There are lots of things to do with food preparations, gifts to buy, family to deal with. There are also those who face remembering the loss of a loved one, loneliness, poverty, sickness and even imprisonment.

Some bring the stress on themselves by overspending, trying to please family members and/or failing to meet expectations. Perhaps you have a loved one in prison or overseas. Others still may be trying to cope with a death, a wedding, a divorce, or a new baby – all of which are in the top 5 of the most stressful life encounters.

Holidays are not happy for everyone. While many of us are hurried and frantic and almost giddy, there are others who are suicidal, depressed, or perhaps locked in an institution. Having worked in a psychiatric hospital for many years I was often there over the holidays. I remember those who were not stable enough to go home, and some had no home to go to.

I too, have experienced the ups and also the downs, or the ‘holiday blues.’ It’s not so easy to tell yourself to ‘just be happy’ and try to enjoy the goings on around you. Others may try to try to improve your mood. The efforts are recognized, of course, but the feelings transient.

Can you combat the holiday blues? What is it? The holiday blues, in a small nutshell (for there are numerous definitions but one idea) is feeling sad during a holiday when the generally expected feeling is happiness or joy. A sense of wellbeing.

You can combat, or attempt to fight off these feelings. Express your feelings to others. Find old friends to reminisce with. Set a spending limit and stick to it. Plan ahead for road trips and gatherings. Don’t overeat. If you’re on medication, make sure you take it on a regular basis. Try to exercise for thirty minutes daily. If finding thirty minutes proves to be quite a task, even just taking ten minutes in private to lie on the floor and stretch well all over can help prevent muscle tension and headaches. If you find yourself or someone close to you experiencing fatigue, irritability, difficulty sleeping, introversion or depressed feelings it can be helpful just to take a trip to the doctor for a general checkup. Many medications prescribed can cause some of these symptoms, and also some disorders such as a thyroid imbalance.

Take the time to talk to your friends and loved ones whether by phone, online or in person during this time of year ~ you never know who might need a touch of your love.