{"id":4372,"date":"2017-12-13T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/?p=4372"},"modified":"2017-12-13T06:25:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T14:25:00","slug":"center-yourself-avoid-holiday-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/center-yourself-avoid-holiday-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways To Center Yourself And Feel Joy During The Holidays (Avoid The Holiday Blues)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know that rates of depression and stress can increase significantly over the\u00a0holiday season<\/strong>.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t need to have a diagnosis of clinical depression to feel down during the\u00a0holidays<\/strong>.\u00a0 According to Mental Health America, the holiday season for many can be a time of loneliness, self-evaluation, reflection on past failures, and anxiety about an uncertain future.\u00a0 Even if we are feeling excited about the holidays, there can often be a lingering stressor or two dragging us down during this time of year.\u00a0 You can bet that, if it\u2019s not you feeling it, someone close to you is faking their holiday excitement and hiding their holiday blues.<\/p>\n

What causes holiday blues?<\/h3>\n

Many factors can cause\u00a0holiday blues<\/strong>: fatigue, stress, anxiety around dealing with others, loneliness, unrealistic expectations, and financial constraints.\u00a0 People may develop stress responses such as headaches, over-eating, and difficulty sleeping.\u00a0 They may also be tempted to abuse food and alcohol during the holiday season.\u00a0 Overall, people can find themselves straying from their typical healthy behaviors and coping in unhealthy ways.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are numerous ways to cope during the holidays.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips to minimize stress and\/or depressed mood and increase feelings of\u00a0joy<\/strong>\u00a0and balance during the holidays.<\/p>\n

Ways to Center Yourself and Feel Joy During the Holidays<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \u00a0Keep expectations for the holiday season manageable.\u00a0 Set realistic goals for yourself.\u00a0 Pace yourself and organize your time.\u00a0 Make a list and prioritize the important activities.\u00a0 Scratch the ones that make you feel too strained off the list and add the ones important for your enjoyment.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0Be realistic about what you can and cannot do.\u00a0 Activities can be spread out to lessen stress and increase enjoyment.\u00a0 Practice saying no to loved ones who pressure you.\u00a0 For example, if a loved one wants to stay later or wants you to stay later during the holidays, remind them of how much is on your plate and how you need to feel well and energized. Save time for yourself and let others share in the responsibility of planning activities.<\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0Surround yourself with positive people who make you feel hopeful and give you encouragement.\u00a0 This time of year can actually be the perfect time to join the hiking club or the improv group you\u2019ve been wanting to join.<\/li>\n
  4. \u00a0Do something for someone else.\u00a0 When we help others, dopamine (a feel-good chemical in the brain) is released.\u00a0 Schedule a time to help out others to reap the mood-lifting benefits of volunteering your time.<\/li>\n
  5. \u00a0Enjoy activities that are free.\u00a0 Read your local newspaper online as there are often free holiday events in the area.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
  6. \u00a0This is the season when you need self-care the most.\u00a0 Take a time-out when relatives are in town and get a massage, take your yoga class, or go to your spin class.\u00a0 Your relatives can be alone for an hour or two.\u00a0 If you feel uncomfortable telling them where you are going then don\u2019t\u2026simply say you are going to a previously scheduled appointment (this is a health boundary).\u00a0 Self-care is vital to your holiday joy and people can often read your body language when you are either stressed or at ease.\u00a0 The holidays are not the time to skip out on your usual \u201cme time\u201d activities..this is the time to amp them up.<\/li>\n
  7. \u00a0Leave \u201cyesteryear\u201d in the past and look toward the future.\u00a0 Each season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way. Try something new.\u00a0 Novel activities can help you create a new association in the brain and help you to feel lifted.\u00a0 Celebrate holidays in a new way!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    About The Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Kim Chronister, PsyD is a therapist, wellness expert, and published author. She specializes in substance abuse, fitness motivation, relationships, weight loss, and eating disorders. Her passion for health psychology is evidenced in her contributions to Women\u2019s Health Magazine, Livestrong, NPR, and Yahoo News and numerous other media outlets. She is the author of \u201cThe Psychology Behind Fitness Motivation” and the bestselling book “FitMentality.”<\/p>\n

    If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/holiday-stress-5-ways\/<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We know that rates of depression and stress can increase significantly over the\u00a0holiday season.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t need to have a diagnosis of clinical depression to feel down during the\u00a0holidays.\u00a0 According to Mental Health America, the holiday season for many can be a time of loneliness, self-evaluation, reflection on past failures, and anxiety about an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4372"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4378,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372\/revisions\/4378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}