If you just listen to holiday music and watch holiday films, you’d be forgiven for thinking that everyone is — and is supposed to be — joyous for the holidays and afterward. Unfortunately, that isn’t the experience that all women, men, and children have. Even happy holidays bring extra stress. They can also bring sad or disturbing memories.
The New Year, too, can be hard to take. It’s filled with expectations that may not be fulfilled, sadness that you didn’t reach certain goals last year, and the burden of new resolutions you may not be able to keep.
Added to the complexity of emotions around the holiday season and new year, the weather turns gloomy and rough. Cutting winds, bone-chilling temperatures, and snow, rain, or hail make facing the outdoors (and indoors) more challenging than ever.
Our caring professionals at The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling understand how challenging winter can be. Although you may have a passing case of winter blues, your symptoms could also indicate that you struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to lack of sunlight or even chronic depression.
When is your winter sadness a seasonal case of the blues and when is it something more? We wrote this brief guide to help you answer those questions.
If you find yourself wishing you were a bear so that you could just sequester yourself in your room all winter long, you may have SAD rather than temporary winter blues. Some signs of SAD’s ultra-nesting behaviors include:
You may also have anxious feelings or feel sad or “empty.” If you have SAD, you may benefit from exposing yourself to morning light by taking a walk outside as soon as you wake up. If that isn’t enough, light therapy and counseling can help you get your spark back.
If you feel tired all the time, your sleep may be disrupted by anxiety or stress. When you have SAD or another form of depression, you may notice neurological symptoms such as:
Establishing a consistent sleep routine, with the same waking and retiring times every day — including weekends and holidays — may help your brain relax so that you can get the restorative sleep you need. Make sure you get morning light and then keep your room dark and cool at night.
When you feel empty or drained, you may not see much point in living. Having thoughts of suicide, or actually engaging in self-harm, is a serious indication that what you struggle with right now is more than just winter blues.
If you or anyone else you know is considering suicide or self-harm, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text 988 in Spanish or English, 24 hours, seven days a week. They also have accommodations in case you or your loved one is deaf.
You don’t have to face the winter alone: Get the help you need to feel energized, connected, and stable this year by reaching out to our Greenwich Village offices in New York City, New York.
Call or use our online form to contact our helpful office staff for an in-person appointment or secure teletherapy for depression evaluation and treatment today.
