Navigating The Holiday Blues: Strategies and Support

If you are feeling less than neutral emotions surrounding the holiday hubbub, you are most certainly not alone. While many find glad tidings and great joy around the holiday season, seasonal depression and seasonal anxiety are highly prevalent this time of year. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness states that on average, more than 50% of people are less than thrilled around the holidays.

Holiday burnout and stressful expectations can cause a flurry of complex emotions, but how do you know if what you are experiencing is temporary holiday blues or a serious mental health concern?

Here is everything high-functioning ladies, boss babes, and supermoms need to know about the holiday blues, seasonal depression, and seasonal anxiety.

What are the Holiday Blues?

There are many different definitions for “the holiday blues,” but the holiday blues are different than Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The holiday blues can be described as less than neutral emotions that are triggered by holiday factors. Strained family relationships, unpleasant dynamics, non-stop holiday stimulus, loneliness, grief, unmet expectations, unrealistic expectations, burnout, stress, pressure at work… the holiday season has a really unique way of exacerbating all these circumstances.  

Everything changes at once. Your diet (hello holiday food and beverages), your schedule (totally overbooked), your finances (what’s the present budget?), and your relational interactions (…Hi, Uncle Bob…) are ALL taking a hit right now, and that’s a lot! Everything from your sleep schedule to your hormones is being impacted. But here’s the thing…

If boundaries, a good night’s sleep, and a supportive chat with a friend can solve these stressors, then it’s probably a case of the holiday blues. If not, it might be seasonal depression or seasonal anxiety.

Holiday Blues vs Seasonal Depression – What’s the difference?

Around 5% of the U.S. population experience severe Seasonal Depression, and around 10% to 20% of adults in the U.S. may experience mild symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. For most women, Seasonal Depression is simply your body’s biological response to seasonal change. In other words, you are “adjusting” along with nature. Fewer hours of sunlight, the colder weather, and daylight savings take a physical and cognitive toll on your body, and for some people, particularly women, these changes are especially hard.

Symptoms of seasonal depression include:

• Loss of energy
• Loss of interest
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Insomnia, disrupted sleep, or excessive sleepiness
• Brain fog
• Lethargy
• Mood swings
• Trouble concentrating

If the symptoms listed above do not clear up within 4 weeks, then you may have a more severe case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and may benefit from seeking professional support.

That said, if you experience serious symptoms of depression at any point, such as feelings of despair, thoughts of death or self-harm, or suicidal ideation, please do not wait 4 weeks. Don’t wait 4 seconds. Those are very serious symptoms, and I would encourage you to prioritize your mental health and seek professional care right away.

Seasonal Anxiety vs Seasonal Depression

Seasonal Anxiety is the less talked about sister of Seasonal Depression. It’s similar to Seasonal Depression in that the symptoms are triggered by seasonal changes in the environment, but Seasonal Anxiety is a bit different.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, your biological clock can become confused, and this disturbance with your sleep schedule can really throw off your serotonin and melatonin levels, which can also throw your neurotransmitters and hormones off balance. The decline in serotonin and the increase in melatonin means you have less energy, yet the to-do list keeps growing – especially around the holidays. When there is not enough daylight or energy to keep up with expectations, it’s possible to become mentally and emotionally dysregulated.

Symptoms of seasonal anxiety include:

• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Chronic pain
• Headaches or migraines
• Insomnia or sleep disruption
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Dizziness
• Restlessness
• Lack of concentration
• Irritability

Holiday Blues or Something More Serious?

Here’s a quick self-assessment test:

• Are you experiencing feelings of despair, thoughts of self-harm, or suicidal ideation?

If so, that is very serious. Please seek professional help right away and refer to the crisis care information provided above.

• Are you experiencing any of the other symptoms mentioned above? If so, are your symptoms mild or severe, and how long have you been experiencing them?

If your symptoms are severe and/or you have been experiencing any of these symptoms at any level of severity for more than 4 weeks, then you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and a qualified mental health professional may be very helpful.

• If you pushed back, spoke up, put up some boundaries, RSVP’d ‘no’ to that gathering you don’t even want to go to, cut back on caffeine and sugar (since those two things can really impact symptoms of anxiety), and got a good night sleep, would you feel better? Would some self-care and assertive compassion solve the majority of your problems?

If so, then it’s probably the holiday blues, but that does not mean what you are feeling isn’t “serious.” The holidays are a really tough time for many, and if you are having trouble finding the time and energy to cope, I would encourage you to reach out to a compassionate therapist and develop some healthy grounding strategies to banish those blues!

How to Cope with the Holiday Blues

I get it… The holidays can be so exhausting and meeting everyone’s expectations can trigger so much anxiety. From deciding what to get your boss for a holiday present, to navigating family holiday dynamics, to giving family and children a “perfect” holiday experience, the pressure on the modern woman to do it all and be it all can feel overwhelming. If you are feeling blue, here are a few coping strategies that may be helpful.

• Accept your feelings.

You don’t have to be upbeat 24/7. I am ALL about authenticity, so if you’re not feeling festive, that’s ok. You do not need to put on a show for the world. You don’t need to decorate, you don’t need to RSVP ‘yes’ to every holiday invite, you don’t need to buy everyone a present, and you definitely don’t need to wear a jingle-bell, reindeer headband unless you really want to. Be yourself, be honest with your feelings, and show up authentically.

• Avoid stimulation overload.

Women who cope with anxiety can get overstimulated very easily. If you’re experiencing holiday anxiety, try to silence the noise. Whether that means taking a digital detox or opting to do all your holiday shopping online this year, prioritizing quiet moments can help recharge and regulate your nervous system.

• Push back, cut back, and speak up.

Consider holding a family meeting to reset expectations. Maybe order carryout this year instead of making grandma’s special recipe (it’s okay, I promise). And if you need to push back against the financial stress caused by holiday commercialism, give it a good shove. Whatever you need to do to give yourself some grace and space, use your beautiful, powerful voice and speak up.

• Practice self-care.

Bubble baths and face masks are amazing, but self-care can also mean self-compassion, boundaries, and saying no. Maybe self-care right now looks like refusing to rely too heavily on caffeine to carry you through this busy season. Or it might mean setting and sticking to a holiday budget. Sometimes, just figuring out what it is you need to recalibrate is half the battle. Take a minute now, and ask yourself, “If my best friend told me she was feeling the way I feel right now, what guidance would I give her?”

• Know when to seek help.

It is very important to differentiate between temporary holiday stress and more serious mental health concerns, which is why I’m so glad you found this blog post! If you suspect that you have something more than the holiday blues, or if the holiday blues are overshadowing all the other colors of the season, please reach out. Support is available and a compassionate, competent therapist can help. 

Hi, y’all! I’m Kelly…

I keep it real here, but I also strive to keep it playful and uplifting. I’m a Texas-based therapist (LPC) and offer virtual therapy for Texas residents. If you cope with anxiety, have a fierce inner critic, or are a do-it-all gal who struggles with balancing everything, I am here for you. Contact me now to schedule your free 15-minute intro call, or learn more about me here.