Dealing with Holiday Depression

Hello Mommas! The holidays are coming in so fast and before we all get busy with life, parties, kids and everything else, I just wanted to talk to you about dealing with the holidays when you’re feeling depressed, down, overwhelmed and anxious. 

If you are feeling these things, I want to assure you that you are not alone. 90% of people are feeling the exact same way.  Holiday depression and stress is a real thing and it happens even to the best of us.

Through this episode, I want to be able to help you find a way to deal and manage with these feelings and suggest some things you can do to make the holidays a bit better for you and your family. I want you to be happy during this season momma’s and I’ll be discussing some things that I know might help you out.

 

• The holidays are stressful and hard but we are doing Christmas for the kids and, hopefully, for ourselves. So, if we are going to do it, let’s make it a little easier. Take some deep breaths and say “I’m doing this.” Let’s make it fun.
• I want you mommas to take care of yourself during this time of the year. Whatever it is, do something for you.
• For a lot of us, holidays can cause depression and stress. It really is a hard time. Try and think about your kids why you’re doing this. Sometimes it’s hard and brings back bad memories, overwhelm, financial. Try to take care of yourself during this whole season.
• We have to find a way to deal with balancing everything - shopping, family, parties, house guests - to decrease your feeling of overwhelm. If you don’t look at this you may find yourself having a headache, getting physically sick, excessive drinking, overeating, etc. It’s going to find its way out and I want to help you find a way to not let that happen.
• New Year’s Day can also be another time people feel awful about starting the new year and I don’t want you to feel that way mommas.
• What can we do to get through the holidays and make it a little bit better? Make a list of realistic expectations - what you can expect from family, kids, friends and your financial state. Don’t overextend yourself. Don’t do it because you’re going to be dealing with stress for a long time if you overspend.
• Set a goal for yourself. What do you want to get out of the holidays? Everyone has their own goal. Make your own goal according to what feels right for you. Don’t take on more than what you are able to do.
• Make a list and prioritize. Have it all set out in your calendar. Get it out of your head and put it on paper, it really helps.
• Think about the holidays as just a day to not put too much pressure on yourself. Try to enjoy it. Plan as much as you can ahead of time so that you don’t get stressed. Don’t compare yourself to others on social media or to past holidays you’ve had. On the holiday, you shouldn’t be on social media.
• If you’re struggling for money, there’s a lot of things that you can do for free. Look at holiday lights, go window shopping, engage in snow play, try to enjoy the whole season.
• Try to celebrate the holidays in a new way. The last thing that I want you to do is agree to participate in a family event that makes you unhappy. Figure out a new tradition or holiday stuff with your immediate family or your kids to make it something new and not keep putting you through stuff that makes you upset.
• Make some time for yourself. Do something nice for you.
• Try to spend the holidays with people you actually enjoy. It’s hard because we all have people in our family that we have to spend time with, but if you are spending time with them then set some boundaries, keep distance or just don’t go.
• Do something that makes you laugh. Try to make some room during the day to make it fun. It can really make a difference however simple it is.
• Enjoy the moment with your family because you won’t get that back.
• If you feel like you don’t have anyone to spend the holidays with, you can volunteer, go somewhere where there’s other people - nursing homes are a great place, call a friend.

 

Resources:

 

Dr. Cynthia Hawver's website: drcynthiah.com and you can find me on the socials @dr.cynthiahawver