Here's how to cope with holiday stress!

The holiday season is a time full of love, joy, parties, and family gatherings. However, for some older adults, it’s a time of loneliness, reflection on past failures, and anxiety about an uncertain future. You may also choose this season to do some self-evaluation.

            Many factors can give you the so-called “holiday blues”: stress, fatigue, unrealistic expectations, financial constraints, or the inability to be with your family and friends. If your relatives are coming to visit, there are the demands of family reunions, shopping, parties and house guests that may contribute to your feelings of tension and depression. You may also develop other stress responses, such as headaches, excessive drinking, overeating, and difficulty sleeping.

            More older adults experience post-holiday letdown after each holiday. This can result from disappointments during the holiday months compounded with stress.

            Here are some helpful suggestions for you to cope with depression, fatigue and stress during and after the holidays:

• Keep your expectations for the holiday season manageable.

• Set realistic goals for yourself. Don’t try to do everything.

• Pace yourself. Organize your time.

• Make a list to prioritize the most important activities. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Do not put your entire focus on just one day (e.g., Thanksgiving Day); remember it is a season of holiday sentiment and cheer, and activities can be spread out timewise to lessen your stress and increase your enjoyment.

• Remember the holiday season does not banish your reasons for feeling sad or lonely; there is room for these feelings to be present, even if you choose not to express them.

• Leave previous years in the past and look toward the future. Life brings changes. Each season is different and you can enjoy it in its own way. Don’t set yourself up by comparing today with yesterday.

• Do something for someone else. Try volunteering to help others. Enjoy activities that are free, such as driving around to look at holiday decorations; going window shopping without buying; helping make a snowman with the grandchildren.

• Remember that excessive drinking will only increase your feelings of depression.

• Try something new. Celebrate the holidays in a new way. Change the way you decorate your home, or have a buffet instead of a sit-down dinner.

• Spend time with supportive and caring family and friends. Reach out to make new friends or contact someone you have not heard from for a while.

• Save time for yourself! Recharge your batteries! Let others share the responsibility for preparations and activities.

• Get as much exposure to sunlight as possible to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is depression that results from fewer hours of sunlight as the days grow shorter during the winter months. Studies show that phototherapy, a treatment involving a few hours of exposure to an intense light, is effective in relieving depressive symptoms in patients with SAD. You can purchase a special lamp or light bulbs for your home or office.

            Stay calm and remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself. You can ask for help. Remember these recommendations and have a happier holiday season!

Jill Hanika Stout is a retired mental healthcare worker and freelance writer who lives in North Carolina. She was born and raised in Indiana.

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