Depression During the Holidays: by Empower Counseling
You may be thinking it is too early to talk about the holidays. However, Thanksgiving is less than 3 months away, with Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah are not far behind.
The holiday season can be the happiest time of year for many. It can also be the most difficult time of years for some. What makes the holiday season so difficult for some of us? There are many different reasons why the holiday season can bring on difficult emotions and depression.
Seasonal Affective Disorder.
One reason depression is common during the holiday season is the time of year on which the holidays fall…fall and winter. Many suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. With SAD depression is seasonal. It usually begins in late fall and persists into early spring. SAD has been linked to light and comes on as the days become shorter. The limited exposure to light can impact our biorhythms and neurochemical balance causing depression.
There are many other reasons depression is prevalent during the holiday season.
Depression during the holidays by empower counseling.
Finances.
With entertaining and gift giving comes spending. Overextending yourself financially can cause a good deal of stress, leading to depression.
Gathering with family and friends:
The holiday season is stereotypically a time for enjoying gathering with family and friends. If you are already feeling alone or dealing with some loneliness, not having loved ones to gather with during the holidays can be very difficult to deal with, causing depression. If this is your first holiday season after a special person in your life has passed, the holidays may trigger feelings of grief and loss.
Unrealistic expectations:
Have you ever wanted or expected your family holiday dinner to look like the Normal Rockwell painting of the perfect meal with the perfect family? It can be crushing if you set unrealistic expectations for the perfect holiday and it is not like you imagined.
Comparisons.
In today’s world with social media and the many holiday cards we receive, it is easy to compare our lives to the lives of others. With those comparisons, come assumptions that others are enjoying their lives and their holidays more then we are. This can cause us to focus on what we don’t have and what is missing rather than that we do have and what we are are grateful to have. Focusing on what we do not have is a recipe for becoming depressed.
Busy Schedules.
With work, family obligations, and holiday invitations it is difficult to get enough rest and to take care of ourselves the way we typically do. Holidays often involve more drinking, more eating and less sleep. The pace of the holiday season along with poor self-care can also lead to depression.
Family.
You might have thought you were over that issue with your family. But when everyone gets together it might be triggered again, sending you in a tailspin.
HOW EMPOWER COUNSELING for depression during the holidays CAN HELP
At Empower Counseling we work with clients to help them learn to cope with their struggles in a healthy way and have a better understanding of what is causing their struggles. We also show the importance of facing our mentlal health struggles instead of ignoring them, and how processing what we have been through can help us feel more capable of handling problems that lie ahead.
As you can see, there are many reasons why depression can sneak up on us during the holidays. If you have had problems over the holidays in the past or you think you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, do not wait until you are depressed to reach out. Empower Counseling offers Acceptance Commitment Therapy for depression. All of our counselors, Kathryn, Adam, and Kristine, are trained in ACT which is scientifically proven affective in treating depression.
BEGIN DEPRESSION COUNSELING with empower counseling IN birmingham, ALABAMA.
Empower Counseling can help you find your way. Our Birmingham area counseling clinic has compassionate and caring therapists who specialize in helping teens, college students, young adults, and professionals with depression. To start your counseling journey toward a more self-confident, clear future, follow these simple steps:
- Contact Empower Counseling today.
- Meet with one of our caring therapists.
- Start becoming clear about your future.
OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT EMPOWER COUNSELING
Counseling depression is not the only service we offer in our Birmingham counseling clinic. Other mental health services Empower Counseling & Coaching provides include anxiety treatment, counseling for teens, counseling for college students, difficult life transitions, and counseling for professionals. All of our therapy is offered in person and online for your convenience.
Contact Empower Today.