What Causes the Holiday Blues?

The holiday season for most people is a fun time of the year filled with parties, celebrations, and social gatherings with family and friends. Yet, for many people, it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety. Sadness is a truly personal feeling. What makes one person feel sad may not affect another person.

Typical sources of holiday sadness include:

Stress
Fatigue
Unrealistic expectations
Over commercialization
Financial stress
Inability to be with one’s family and friends

Balancing the demands of shopping, parties, family obligations, and house guests may contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and increased tension. People who do not view themselves as depressed may develop stress responses, such as:

Headaches
Excessive drinking
Overeating
Insomnia

Others may experience post-holiday sadness after New Year’s/January 1st. This can result from built-up expectations and disappointments from the previous year, coupled with stress and fatigue. Here are some helpful steps.

1. Get your focus off yourself (Do something for others)

Proverbs 3:5-6

vs. 5-Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

vs. 6-In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

2. Refocus on right priorities

Mark 12:30-31

vs. 30-And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

vs. 31-And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

3. Just start over again

John 8:10-11

vs. 10- When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

vs. 11- She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Posted on 1/18/2009 under Pastor Cornett's Blog. Comments RSS feed.
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