November 30, 2011
Coping With Depression When Money or Personal Problems Arise During the Holidays
5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Skimping on sleep and eating unhealthy food can make this difficult time that much harder to cope with and successfully survive. So make sure you’re getting plenty of shuteye each night and eating well-balanced meals. If possible, try to also squeeze in a few workouts each week to take your mind off things and to promote overall physical well-being. Vigorous exercise will also release endorphins, lifting your overall mood as well.
6. Be realistic
Nobody has a “perfect†holiday and you may need to accommodate for some changes in your usual family traditions or rituals. Keep an open mind and don’t set your expectations too high. If you’re feeling tension between family members or things just aren’t working as planned, be willing to change direction and even try something new. Find ways to just enjoy your time together and make the most of it.
Even if mild or severe depression starts to kick in during the holidays, keep telling yourself that the situation isn’t permanent and neither are your feelings. If things get really bad, and you feel like you want to hurt yourself, do reach out to the toll-free hotline offered by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Otherwise, if all the December festivities occurring around you specifically triggered your case of the holiday blues, take comfort in knowing that — in all likelihood — your sad or negative emotions will pass after New Year’s Day has come and gone.
“Ask The Money Coach†is a syndicated column written by personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, co-founder of the free financial advice blog, AskTheMoneyCoach.com. Follow Lynnette on Twitter at @themoneycoach.