It’s pretty unfortunately common this time of year (the holiday blues); and now there are people are overseas at war, people are getting laid off, they’ve lost a love one to death or divorce, or all sort of ways. And holidays can really underscore that pain and make us feel more low than ever, and it can also trigger some unpleasant childhood memories for a lot of people.
So I have some tips for people if they want to avoid that and sort of try to break that pattern or be able to accept, you know, the unfortunate situation right now and still be able enjoy the holidays. Cause holidays typically involve tradition, or rituals, or anything familiar; try your best to just accept that this year it is gonna be different, and embrace the difference by deliberately doing something differently, in major or even subtle ways, like uh, sing different carols, go to a different church, eat different foods, eat your meal at a different time of the day. Anything that you can do different is going to sort of wake you up and allow you to see that things are different and kind of be deliberately clumsy- if you will- in a fun and creative way.
You wanna make sure that you stay active, as everybody knows, any and all physical activity or exercise or movement of any kind can help alleviate depression from a chemical standpoint; it just jump starts those endorphins. It wont make all of your problems or issues go away but, boy, it can give you fresh perspective on it. Watch some great holiday comedy, laughter also jump starts those endorphins. It goes a great way to offset or combat depression.
You can also be of service. I know your station (WBGZ) has supported a local family and that’s a beautiful thing to do because nothing lifts up more than doing selfless giving. So be of service in some way. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, or a hospital for terminally ill kids, or bake cookies and take it to a retirement home for some lonely old people that would love to see a fresh young face. That would allow you to see that you are grateful for all the things and blessings that you do have, no matter what kind of situation you are in.
And, you know, accept your situation; try not to make anything more of it nor anything less of it. We sometimes tend to dramatized our situation thinking we’re the only one, and we got it worse than anyone else- myself included. But accepting that it is what it is, coping with it in the healthiest manner as possible can lead to psychological health and a better mood no matter what you’re going through.
To hear more great tips, view the video below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qco-ilE0kx8&w=420&h=315]