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Although Christmas is meant to be a happy time, for many people it can be one of the most difficult times of the year. This article looks at some of the reasons for this and suggests ways that can help you beat the Christmas blues.
As the festive season approaches and the fairy lights go up most of us start thinking of parties, fun, family and feasting. However for a large number of people, particularly those who suffer from depression, Christmas can be the most difficult time of the year. Depression Alliance, the UK charity for depression, estimates a 40% increase in calls to their helpline over the Christmas period. Christmas may also be bad for your health in other ways. Studies have shown that the number of heart attacks and deaths from heart attacks increases significantly over the holiday period.
There are a number of factors that are thought to contribute.
For most of us as well as being fun, Christmas is a very stressful time of the year. Lots of parties might be good, but they also mean increased tiredness coupled with increased pressure at work as the holiday period approaches. The increased stress can also affect your immune system which then means you are more likely to succumb to some of the many coughs and colds around over the winter, making you feel even worse! Once you’ve struggled through to Christmas itself, there is the usual round of family visits and, although it is lovely to spend time with the family, it can also be stressful as old arguments and issues re-emerge. Christmas usually involves adapting to a different daily routine, lack of exercise, over eating and increased alcohol consumption. Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why the number of stress- related problems and illnesses increase over the Christmas period.
Not everyone looks forward to a family Christmas. If you are on your own then Christmas can exacerbate feelings of loneliness as others go off to spend time with their families. It is a particularly difficult time if you have been recently bereaved, where the absence of your loved one is especially apparent. New Year can also be difficult for many people as it is usually the time when we reflect on the past year and plan for the future. If this year has been your ‘annus horribilis’ you may feel glad that it is over, but it can also lead to feelings of sadness and distress. More relationships break up between December and Valentine’s Day than at any other time of the year as people reflect on the past and think about the future.
The holiday period is often a time when people’s financial difficulties come to the fore. The average family spend around £600 over the Christmas period and those with children considerably more. This can be very stressful for families on lower incomes or if you are one of the many families this year who have faced unemployment. Pressure from the media and advertising to spend, spend, spend can be hard to resist, especially when you have children.
On top of all these things some people are more susceptible to depression in the winter. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that usually affects people between September and April, but especially in December, January and February when the days are at their shortest. According to SADA, the seasonal affective disorder association, it can affect approximately 7% of the population and is caused by the shortening of the daylight hours, leading to a biochemical imbalance in the chemicals of the brain. Christmas day falls just 4 days after the shortest day of the year, making it the worst time of year for many sufferers of SAD. The symptoms of SAD are depression, sleep problems (usually needing t o sleep more and having difficulty waking up in the mornings), fatigue, overeating, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and loss of libido. This could probably describe most of us over the Christmas period and in its mild form SAD may affect up to 17% of the population. However, if you experience many of these symptoms regularly in the winter months and if they improve dramatically in spring, then you could have SAD.
So what can you do to help to beat the Christmas Blues?
If you are one of the many people who don’t look forward to Christmas, careful planning can help you to make this Christmas more pleasurable.
Try to do something different this year, either on your own or with your family. If you are fed up with the idea of cooking Christmas lunch for 10 why not break with tradition? One of my friends said his best ever Christmas Day involved getting up, driving to the seaside with the family and all their camping equipment and enjoying fried eggs and baked beans on the beach after a long walk.
Planning in some exercise to do over the Christmas holidays can also help to relieve stress. It could be as simple as a walk or a family bike ride, but it is especially beneficial if it is outdoors, as this exposes you what full spectrum light that there is in December and may help with symptoms of SAD. Rather than the pre-dinner drink how about a pre-dinner walk or jog?
If you are expecting to spend Christmas alone then plan the days in advance so that you have things to do. You could even book a holiday over the Christmas or the New Year. Perhaps this is your chance to visit old friends overseas, and if you don’t mind travelling on Christmas Day itself you can often get some good deals on flights.
Volunteering can be a great way to spend Christmas, especially if you are going to be on your own. Organisations that provide Christmas lunches for older people or the homeless are often looking for helpers, especially on Christmas Day. Volunteering for a few hours over Christmas, or paying a visit to isolated neighbours, is also a good activity for the whole family, helping everyone to remember the true spirit of Christmas.
If you are worried about the financial cost of Christmas don’t be tempted to ignore it and carry on spending as you will only be in a worse situation when January arrives. Work out what you can afford to spend and stick to it. If necessary limit the presents for the children, or search some of the charity shops for cheaper alternatives. Alternatively wait until the January sales before buying gifts. Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be an expensive or elaborate meal either. If you are a single parent family try getting together with someone else in same position and share the cost and the work.
Finally if your depression more than just the Christmas Blues then it is important that you seek professional help. SAD can be effectively treated with daily sessions of light therapy, using full spectrum light boxes, but you should consult your doctor before going ahead and buying one. If despite careful planning, you find yourself unable to cope over the Christmas period, The Samaritans and Saneline have 24-hour support lines that are operational all through the Christmas period.
Finally, like the Grinch in this quote below, it can be helpful to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and not the commercialised holiday that we have come to expect.
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Dr Seuss
Happy Christmas
24 Hour Help Lines:
Samaritans: 0845 790 9090
Saneline : 0845 767 8000
Further Information
Depression Alliance http://www.depressionalliance.org/
Seasonal Affective Disorder Association http://www.sada.org.uk/
