Holiday season can be hampered by stress and depression

By Nash Nunnery       
 
A special period for family, events and activities, the fall holiday season is perhaps the most wonderful time of the year for most Mississippians.
For some, however, Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time for angst - in the form of stress and depression. 

Shopping, gift and travel expenses, the stress of hosting social events or just managing a full calendar add to the anxiety. Loneliness and grief can also be heightened during the holidays. 

A November 2023 poll conducted by the American Psychological Association revealed that nearly nine in ten (eighty-nine percent) Americans said that concerns about finances, missing loved ones and possible family conflict causes stress during the holiday season.

As a former director of Mississippi College’s Student Counseling Services Center and an MC psychology professor for thirty-six years, Buddy Wagner is all too familiar with the pitfalls of the holidays that affect the general public.

According to the long-time Clinton resident, depression and anxiety are at the root of the seasonal blues. Also, there is no particular age group or gender that is more susceptible than the other.

“Depression comes from living in the past,” said Wagner. “Thinking about a time in the past, whether it’s loss of a loved one or the loss of a job, can bring about depression.

“Anxiety stems from living in the future. People get pre-conceived notions that having a large family gathering or making sure they buy all the right gifts ensures a stress-free holiday experience. Living in the future can cause plenty of anxiety.”

Wagner added that while connecting with family is good, it can be detrimental to one’s mental health and raise stress levels if those familial relationships are harmful.

Exercise, diet and proper sleep all contribute to maintaining a positive mental outlook during the holiday season, Wagner said.

“Even if it’s only thirty minutes a day, exercise is very important to your mental health. The key is to do what you can do,” he said. “Even though we tend to overeat during the holidays, trying to eat healthy is extremely important.

“Most Americans are sleep deprived – proper rest, eight to ten hours nightly, helps us maintain the strength to cope with the stress that most everyone experiences during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.”

The holidays are a time for family and cheer, but making sure the house is clean, the food is ready, and the presents are wrapped and ready to be opened can be overwhelming. These factors can bring unwanted stress and depression in a time meant for happiness.

“One of the biggest problems is people build up the holidays in their minds about exactly how [Christmas and Thanksgiving] should go,” said Wagner.

 “Movies and social media during this time tend to influence people’s perceptions.  Many people are guilty of having unrealistic expectations of the holiday season. Don’t build it up.”

Though the holiday blues are usually short-term, talking to a mental health professional can help, Wagner added. A therapist can aid in identifying patterns of negative thinking that contribute to sadness and depression, replacing those thoughts with more helpful ones.

COPING DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Wagner offers some practical ways to cope with holiday stress and depression:

• Be in the present

  “Call it being in the now. Binge watch your favorite television programs, work on a hobby, read a book… find something that you can lose yourself in.”

• Where is the depression?

  “Am I experiencing it in my chest or stomach? Where is this coming from? What are the feelings I’m having that signal that I’m stressed or depressed? Identify those feelings.”

• Identify your color or shape of depression?

  “Let’s say the color red represents stress, and the color blue signifies relaxation. Like a scientist looking through a microscope, examine closely, stay with it and change the color from red to blue.”

• Talk about it

  Wagner emphasizes that a person cannot acknowledge what they don’t share with others. Find a friend or loved one who will listen to them about their holiday season stressors.