Stay Mentally Healthy This Holiday Season

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Offers Tips to Beat the Holiday Blues

December 13, 2004 , Chicago , IL – By now you know what it takes to be physically healthy during the holidays - how to lose weight, exercise more and avoid holiday binging. But do you know what it takes to be mentally healthy this holiday season?

Typically the holidays evoke visions of happiness and joy, and days filled with family, friends and holiday parties. But for many Americans, especially those without friends or family near, it can be a time of overwhelming sadness, loneliness and stress triggering depression. More than 35 million Americans will be affected by depression in their lifetime, and it becomes even more prevalent during the holidays. It is a real, medical illness, but the good news is it is treatable if you are aware of the symptoms and take action to get better.

So before you hit the stores or holiday parties there are a few things to keep in mind to keep yourself “mentally healthy” this holiday season. First, maintain your regular schedule. “The holidays are times when we find ourselves eating more and sleeping less. Holiday shopping and holiday parties can get us off of our regular eating and sleep schedules. This can add undue stress to our lives and trigger a depression,“ explains Lydia Lewis , President of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Another way to combat depression is to surround yourself with support. Being with family and friends can help you fight loneliness and give you the support you need. Sometimes people feel depressed if they don’t have family around the holidays, but the most important thing to remember is a support system can be made up of friends as well. Lana Castle of DBSA in Austin Texas shares, “I get together with others who won’t be with family during the holidays to fix meals or plan a potluck.”  

At those holiday get-togethers it is important to remember to eat healthy and avoid alcohol. Too much sugar, caffeine or alcohol can contribute to emotional imbalance and make depressive symptoms worse.

Another way you can stay mentally healthy this holiday season is to create your own traditions. “Sometimes the holidays bring back memories of past holiday celebrations and create unrealistic expectations of how the holidays should be. This added stress can bring up feelings of loneliness, guilt and worthlessness,” says Lewis. Creating your own traditions means creating new happy memories.

If you feel like the holidays are becoming too stressful and you are feeling depressed, do not be so quick to dismiss your feelings as the holiday blues. Lydia Lewis encourages people to be aware of their mental health, “If you experience two or more of these symptoms for two weeks or more, it could be a sign of a deeper depression that needs the attention of your healthcare provider immediately.

• Prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells

• Significant changes in appetite, sleep patterns

• Irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety

• Pessimism, indifference

• Loss of energy, persistent tiredness

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness

• Inability to concentrate, indecisiveness

• Inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal

• Unexplained aches and pains

So as the holiday hustle and bustle continues, remember to relax and take things one day at a time. All of the stresses can be overwhelming, so take a deep breath and keep in mind the holidays only last for a few weeks, your mental health lasts a lifetime.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation’s leading patient-directed organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. The organization, which has more than 1,000 support groups nationwide, fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically-based tools and information.  Assisted by a 65-member scientific advisory board, comprised of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders, DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. More than 4 million receive information and assistance each year.  More information can be found at www.DBSAlliance.org or by calling 1-800-826-3632. 

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