Got the holiday blues?
Gary Hargus remembers the last time he had the holiday blues.
The year was 1977 and Hargus, who had recently separated from his first wife, spent Thanksgiving in New Jersey away from his family. He recalls eating by himself at a diner at the beginning of the holiday season.
“I just sat down at the counter and had Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “But I’ve been really fortunate that it’s only been that one time.”
While it’s a jolly holiday for most, the weeks extending from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day can leave some feeling downright blue.
“People are polarized at this time of year,” said psychiatrist Jason Mastor. “Many love it or hate it.
“Patients in my practice tend to dislike the holidays for a variety of reasons.”
Loneliness, family conflicts and the loss or death of a family member are all factors.
“Traditions sometimes die when family members die,” Delta Behavioral Health Unit Director Rick Bridges said.
Separation, divorce, and adult children going on to lead their own lives can also depress people during the holidays, Bridges said.
Typically, the holidays are very busy at the 16-bed Delta Behavioral Unit, Bridges said.
“People will do all they can to avoid being in the hospital on a major holiday.”
The blues can hit anyone.
“Everybody gets there,” Army Staff Sgt. Jimmy McDowell said.
“Being in the military, I put it all in perspective: I could be elsewhere.”
McDowell currently serves at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
“When you have the holiday blues — being separated from family and everything — you just have got to refocus and keep a strong mind. You don’t want your family to see you down. You just have to get through it. And you kind of draw strength from them.”
Residents who have battled the holiday blues say the key to getting through a rough patch is remembering what the holidays are all about.
Mastor, the psychiatrist, recommends limiting work schedules and/or cutting holiday hours, eating properly, maintaining enough sleep and exercise, and adding time outdoors during daylight hours.
“Anything to make it more of a vacation is nice,” Mastor said.
Connecting with a friend or loved one can also help. That can be as easy as picking up the phone and calling someone, Mastor said.
“I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who would turn away a lonely soul during the holidays.”
‘Stay Busy’
Mastor offers some simple advice for those who feel the blues coming on:
“Do something for someone else during the holidays. Have lunch or dinner with extended family or close friends. Initiate something you’ve never done before. Invite someone over. Stay busy. Get into a good routine during the holidays.”
By Russell Ledbetter
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