We are into December – just two weeks until Christmas Day.
For many people, there is an air of joy, anticipation and excitement. This is the highlight of their year. These folks love Christmas – putting up decorations, wrapping gifts, entertaining, anticipating Christmas dinner with loved ones. They’re counting the days until Christmas with glee. What could be more wonderful?!
Wait a minute!
This season is not a joyous time for many people. Days are shorter, nights are longer and darker. It’s cold and grey outside. These folks are perpetually tired, and can hardly drag themselves out of bed in the morning.
They can’t concentrate on work or school, and feel like doing absolutely nothing. They feel isolated, alone. In a word, they are depressed.
There are many reasons people get depressed at Christmas. They may have bad memories of family Christmases early in their lives – perhaps they lost a parent to death or through divorce, or their family home was dysfunctional. They may think they should buy lots of gifts and don’t have the money to do so.
They may think all the activity around Christmas is hype, or worse, and it would be hypocritical to go along with it.
Regardless of the reason, those of us who find Christmas depressing need to navigate ourselves through this month-long season. It’s very difficult trying to figure out what we need to do when we are depressed. It’s hard to think clearly. However, we must decide what we need and go for it.
If we need to be alone or with only one other person most of the time because we find being in a group at Christmas overwhelming, we must arrange this, and let people important to us know about it. Then, if we decline an invitation, those people close to us will understand.
When we’re depressed, we need to simplify our lives, If it is too depressing to go into a busy shop before Christmas to buy a gift, we could make a donation to a charity in the name of a friend or family member.
Or, we could buy gift certificates at the grocery store when we’re doing our weekly shopping.
No wrapping required!
There are other things we depressives ought to do for ourselves in this season of excess.
Practise good daily habits: eat well, but not too much; sleep enough, but not too much; get lots of fresh air, and don’t drink to excess. If we feel isolated, we must put ourselves among other people sometimes –even by sitting at the library or a coffee shop.
Being depressed at Christmas time is very tough.
However, many people who get depressed in December find that their depression begins to lift on Boxing Day. And guess what? Boxing Day is only one day after Christmas!
-Nan Dickie facilitates a depression support group (for people who experience clinical depression or have bi-polar disorder or anxiety) in Salmon Arm. For information about the group, contact her at ndickie@telus.net.