You would have never thought you can get depressed over the holidays, but as you’re away from your loved ones, the merry season seems the most overwhelming time of the year
December can be a challenging period for someone who’s away from their family and friends. As Christmas and New Year’s celebrations roll around, you start to feel the holiday blues affecting your daily life. You don’t understand why you experience varying degrees of sadness during the most wonderful month of the year.
It can be because you cannot go home to visit your family, or because you’re feeling isolated and lonely from your friends. Or maybe you don’t have any holiday plan to fill your free time, and you’re sick of spending your days in front of the TV. Netflix and chill can become depressing when this is all you do for months. These feelings are entirely normal and expected nowadays, especially if you’ve never been away from your family and friends during the holidays.
And while nothing can replace the warmth of your parents’ house and your friends’ joyfulness, there are a few things you can do to enjoy the merry season and beat the holiday blues.
Keep yourself occupied
The worst way to spend the winter holidays away from your loved ones is to isolate yourself at home. Sit on the couch the entire day, allow yourself to get bored with the TV series you watched over and over again, and think about how much you’d like to be somewhere else. Doing this daily for the entire December month can trigger a single result, you getting depressed.
So, what can you do instead of sitting around, feeling sad and anxious?
You can fill your days with interesting and exciting activities that keep you entertained. Having something to look forward to every week or day gives you a reason to be merry. You get the holiday blues when you’re disappointed you cannot spend time with your family and friends. Near Christmas, you look forward to a break from your normal life, get time off work or school, see everyone you may not have seen in a long time, and take part in activities that allow you to relax and enjoy yourself.
But when you’re away from your loved ones, you have the same expectations you had in the last years, only that you cannot fulfill them in the current year. That’s so crucial to plan your days to keep your mind busy and give yourself a chance to create other traditions. Which takes us to the next piece of advice
Create new traditions and celebrate with other people
Winter holidays are special because of the people you get to see and spend time with. Nothing and no one can replace spending time with your family and friends. That’s why you feel so disappointed this year you cannot travel home and eat the Christmas dinner together. But it doesn’t mean you should spend the holidays locked inside the house, away from everyone. It’s the moment to create a new family and new connections.
There are people around you who experience the same feelings, and you can celebrate the holidays together to help each other fight depression and anxiety. Instead of planning traditional activities with your family, you can try something new like hiking, attending a sports game, or going to a party.
You may not celebrate the holiday as you used to do it with your loved ones, but you can start new traditions that suit better your present lifestyle. This helps you connect with other people and bring your traditions to a new place. You can always bring a twist to old traditions and create new ones tailored to the moment.
Set realistic expectations
To prevent anxiety and holiday blues, make realistic expectations for the winter season and set achievable goals for yourself. Your holiday season doesn’t have to look like a Hallmark movie; it should be something that fits your lifestyle and needs. Free yourself from the classic ideas of what you should be doing and engage in something you would like to do.
After all, the holidays are about relaxing and spending time the way you want. If you want to stay at home and eat cookies instead of skiing in the mountains, then you shouldn’t join your friends on their trip. Or you can leave for the mountains but spend time in the cabin while they sky in the cold snow. Don’t compare your life with anyone else, and don’t allow social media to tell you how your perfect holiday season should look. If you feel your anxiety and depression prevent you from enjoying the holiday season, you can try Delta 8 Vapes from OCN, a natural product that can help you improve your mood and relax.
Facetime your friends and family
Only because you cannot meet in person doesn’t meet you cannot get in touch with your friends and family. Yes, there’s no replacement for being home during the winter season and sending time around the Christmas tree, but fortunately, technology allows you to talk face-to-face with the people you miss, even if you’re on opposite sides of the world.
Being away from home isn’t hard only for you, but also for the people who love you. They miss you as much as you miss them, and they’d be more than thrilled to connect with you, even if it’s only via FaceTime. Set up a time when they’re all together and FaceTime the entire family. Even if you can talk only for a couple of minutes, it’ll mitigate some of the homesickness you feel. You may think that video calling them can make things worse and fuel your negative feelings, but you should try to focus on the good vibes your family can transmit.
The bottom line
Being alone for the holidays isn’t easy, but you can fight the seasonal blues if you allow yourself to celebrate without your family and friends. Do you have any other tips you would like to offer?
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