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A guest post written by Robert B. Clark, Committee on Publication for Florida
For many, the holiday season is a joyous time, but for some folks it can be a hard season to get through.
If you Google “holiday depression” or better still ”beating holiday depression” you’ll find lots of top 10 lists. Most of the ideas on the list below appear on one or more of the lists you can find online. But they’ve also appeared in my life. They’re tried and proven. They’re real. They work.
1. Be grateful. Research at Harvard, and at major universities in Florida, Texas and California is beginning to prove the mental, emotional and even physical benefits of taking some time each day to be grateful. Keep a gratitude journal. Write a thank you note. Thank someone mentally. It’s a great way to protect your natural joy.
2. Serve. Find one of the many service opportunities your community offers. Volunteer at your church. Ring a Salvation Army bell. Volunteer at a Veterans Hospital. Be a story reader at your local library or elementary school. Serving others is a sure fire way to forget yourself.
3. Be still. If you search online, you’ll find that one of the chief causes of holiday depression is a lack of stillness. Silent nights are hard to find. So be purposeful about finding stillness. Find a quiet spot and make time (even just 5-10 minutes) each day to just be quiet. Pray, meditate, relax, take some deep breaths.
4. Simplify. As shopping, food preparation and travel intensify, things can get tangled up. You can take control here. Simplify your menus and meals. A calm host/hostess is a more gracious gift than a sumptuous meal. Set some reasonable limits on gifts. This year each member of our extended family has been assigned one person for whom they buy one gift, under $20. Simple.
5. Reach out. Although it may have many different causes, holiday depression has a common antidote. Look out instead of in. This can seem devilishly hard to do. But thinking outward, thinking of what other people need can be a joy creator, while thinking too much of ourselves can be a joy deflator. Again, you can be purposeful here. Make a list of people you’ve been out of touch with and send them a holiday greeting. Think about who in your community needs you. Our church discovered recently that 1 in 6 children from a local elementary school were from homeless families. We contacted the school and agreed to have our members and Sunday School students work to provide backpacks with school supplies at the beginning of the year and snack packs during the rest of the year. It’s hard to feel sad when you’re packing bags for homeless kids.
So as the holidays approach, challenging rather than accepting holiday depression is a healthy choice. Find your own ways to keep the season joyful. Share them with friends. Look outward and upward. It works.
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Very uplifting. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for these simple and yet profound reminders.
What a great list of activities to do during the holiday season.. I especially liked #4 – simplify. For the first time ever, I’ve ordered our whole Christmas dinner from a local speciality store. It makes me feel good because it gives someone a job in preparing it, and it frees up time for our family to be together.
This evening I attended a church meeting where people shared their inspiration. A teen got up and expressed her gratitude for what she’d learned in Sunday School all during her childhood, and how it had helped her in daily living. She gave wonderful examples. It gives one hope for the future to know that there are moral thinkers and doers out there. So #1 – Be grateful is extremely important.
Thank you for this review of the best things to do at Christmastime.
I love the dog’s picture with this article on depression!
Thank you for your comments on this article. I found the article helpful also and Anne thank you for sharing about comments from a teenager. I know I wonder at times what the students are learning in my class.
Loved the list…especially the keep it simple part…relieved my guilt about the Christmas dinner which I’m threatening to get at McDonalds.
I love, love, LOVE the idea of simplifying the holiday and remembering to be still! I think we spend so much time trying to be ten places at once, hunting down the perfect present, etc when we need to stop the worship of busyness and quiet our thoughts – and let gratitude in. Wonderful article, and I’ll definitely be sharing it on our church’s Facebook page!
What a wonderful article and list of things to think about. And thanks everyone for your comments they were really helpful.
I was out of the city yesterday so didn’t get to read this til now. I took my granddaughters on the train from Fullerton to Santa Barbara for the day. We went Christmas shopping and just had a fun day with each other. It was wonderful to see each of the girls shopping for friends, and family members not looking at anything for themselves. It was all about what can I get others. They didn’t spend a lot of money, probably because they don’t have a lot to spend (they are 16 & 19) but just to see the smile on their faces as they purchased a small gift here and there for someone else. It was delightful to see. It made my day just being with them. We returned on the last train back and I can’t remember a more relaxing, fun, unselfish time at Christmas. This is what Christmas should be all about…relaxing, sharing and thinking of others. This is how we feel the light of the Christ in our lives. I loved it.
Thanks again everyone and Merry Christmas to you all.
I’m a late comer too! But so glad I read this article and comments. Very helpful. Pamela, your outing with your grandgirls sounded wonderful. Love the idea of spending more time with family and simpfiying holiday preparations. Sounds like a great plan!