7 Ways to Beat the Holiday Blues

Holiday Blues

7 Steps to Beat the Holiday Blues

The holidays are filled with images of a great tasting turkey, a white Christmas, a perfectly decorated house and warm family gathering. But those dreams of a perfect holiday gathering can quickly become nightmares — leading to bouts of depression, says Jay Zimmerman, a staff psychologist with Ball State’s Counseling Center.

“The holidays are very stressful because people want the holidays to be perfect,” Zimmerman says. “Many people have images of perfect family gatherings based on hopes or what they see on television. That puts us under a great deal of pressure.”

Other factors contributing to a more stressful holiday season this year may be the loss of a job by a family member or other economic concerns or having a friend or relative in the military stationed in a war zone.

How we React to Seasonal Change

Snowflake Lights on Tree

Festivals of Lights: Finding Health in the Darkness

 

by Bethlyn Gerard

December in the Northern Hemisphere has days that grow increasingly shorter. Nights fall earlier. Ever heard the Simon and Garfunkle lyric, ‘hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again…’? We are in the darkest time of year. Species react differently to this seasonal change. Birds fly south, bears hibernate, humans often decorate. Several major religions include stories involving light during this darkest of months. A lamp burns without oil for 8 days, a star shining in the East gives guidance, candles and fires (replaced in modern ceremonies by electric lights) teach us to respect the relationship between light and darkness.

The winter solstice marks the day when the amount of daylight is equal to the length of night. Until then, the amount of darkness increases. This year that day is December 21, 2012. After that, the days gradually get longer letting in more light.