Holiday Season Depression

Unrealistic Holiday Season Expectations Cause Undue Stress

Most of us have been raised with the words of “Jingle Bells” indelibly imprinted in our memories, whether it be from numerous shopping centre excursions, listening to endless versions by popular singers on radio, MTV or our parents’ CD collection. These memories, together with the old Christmas movies that appear every year, create an expectation of an experience that is unlikely to be as satisfying in real life as it is in our minds. This may not be immediately recognised as stress, but this kind of pressure, to have the “perfect” holiday season, is causing increasing numbers of people to succumb to depression and abandon the celebrations altogether.

Holiday depression is recognised as a very real consequence of the celebrations going on around the end of each year. Some people see Christmas as a time of sadness, they are not excited by it as many people are and sometimes there can seem to be no reason for they way they feel. By going to counselling Brisbane people feeling this way are able to work through the issues causing these feelings.

One of the major contributors to holiday depression is the expectation that everything associated with the festivities places on all of us. There is pressure to spruce up the house to welcome any visitors, to buy gifts that are beyond the financial means, to be the perfect host or hostess, to have the biggest tree, or the brightest lights, and to create an incredible experience for everyone else, while neglecting our own mental well-being.

A survey that was recently conducted found that the holiday season, instead of excitement and warmth, it caused many people anxiety and stress. The burden of expectation, not only from others but also from within themselves, caused them to dread the occasion. They felt pressured to participate in everything, to spend time with family members they didn’t like and to spend much more money than they could afford.

Older people had different reasons for feeling depressed. The holidays for them were a reminder of good times past with friends and loved family members no longer living, and they were left to contemplate rather than celebrate. As their social circle decreased, so did their interest in the festivities and the activity going on around them.

The situation didn’t improve for the survey respondents with the mention of New Year. Rather it was just another reminder of unfulfilled dreams and resolutions that came to nothing, year after year. With the help of a psychologist Brisbane people suffering this type of depression can be helped to focus their thoughts and activities on positive, enjoyable experiences to beat the holiday blues.