Enjoying the Winter Holiday Season
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
By Mary Ellen Copeland, M.S., M.A.
cont.
Too Much To Do, Not Enough Time
As the holidays approach, your expectations of what you will do or need to
do may increase. In addition, the expectations that others have of you may
increase as well. For instance, there may be foods you have always been
responsible for cooking, gifts you are expected to buy and decorating to do, as
well as obligations in your place of worship and the community. You may also
want to be part of outreach to others who are less fortunate. At some point you
begin to feel totally overwhelmed. What can you do?
Assess the things you have planned to do over the next month or
two. Write them down. Check off those that you really enjoy and that are
most meaningful to you. For instance, if you always get together with your
sister whom you see only once a year on a certain day, that may be very
important to you. But writing holiday greeting cards may feel like an
overwhelming chore. Then, stop doing those things that you don't check, the
things that you least enjoy. You may want to confer with family members as you
change these plans. When I first did this – stopped making holiday cookies
and breads – I thought I would hear all kinds of complaints from my adult
children. They barely noticed!
Be creative about gift giving. If gift giving is part of your
holiday tradition that you want to keep, and you find the crowds, lines, and
time difficult to manage, you might consider shopping through catalogues and
the Internet. Your family might be willing to exchange simple handmade gifts
rather the more costly and labor intensive purchased gifts. Another option
would be for each family member to choose one other person they will buy a gift
for, insuring that everyone receives a gift without this being a hassle for
anyone. If your gift giving includes gifts for members of other families like
aunts, uncles and cousins, you may want to consider one family gift, rather
than individual gifts for each person.
Be ready when others ask you to do things. Avoid saying
"yes" right away. Instead say, "I'll think about it and get back
to you." Then consider carefully if this is something you really want to
do before you say yes.
Take time to relax without feeling guilty about it. Play some
music you love. Take off your shoes. Loosen your clothing. Lean back. Spend the
next few minutes, or an hour or two, doing absolutely nothing. You deserve this
time to yourself!
Check out any new physical and emotional symptoms or any that have
worsened. Don't delay getting health care because you are too busy, you
think these symptoms will go away after the holidays or that you just have
"the holiday blues." The stress, cold and darkness of the winter
season make everyone more vulnerable to illness.
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