{"id":13113,"date":"2017-12-21T11:54:05","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T17:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovingonme.com\/?p=13113"},"modified":"2017-12-21T11:54:05","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T17:54:05","slug":"stress-depression-during-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovingonme.com\/2017\/2017\/12\/21\/stress-depression-during-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress & Depression During the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"“Happy Holidays!” They say. What\u2019s so happy and merry about a time that forces the memory of loneliness, death, and unmet desires for some?<\/p>\n

Here it is, the end of the year and what\u2019s there to expect? Holidays are traditionally\u00a0a time where family and friends gather together to eat, enjoy hallmark movies, and be with one another. A time where people’s, especially children’s, hearts are filled with joy and excitement because gifts are thrusting from under their Christmas trees. Here we are with Thanksgiving right behind us and the holiday season vastly approaching. It is depressing to realize that your reality may not be what it\u2019s all hyped up to be, or even what social media has hyped it to be. All of a sudden, we\u2019re forced to accept those relationships we once had or those into which we were born may no longer be the relationships that nurture\u00a0us.<\/p>\n

Often individuals with close family\/friend related-deaths, family stress, unmet expectations, difficult children, financial woes and even greater adversities find this hard to grasp. The question may arise, Why me?<\/em> Overwhelming feelings and thoughts of depression and stress may emerge. If you are\u00a0or have ever experienced these feelings, please understand that they are typical feelings to experience. You are human and you have full rights to have feelings.\u00a0 It is only when those emotions cause your daily functioning to drastically alter or become uncontrollable that you should be alarmed and take action and seek professional help to manage those symptoms.<\/p>\n

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing you must do is PLAN. Although it may be hard to plan for the worst, it is far better to plan ahead. Disappointments are unmet expectations. The clich\u00e9 “hope for the best and plan for the worst” allows you to both accept your reality and be in control of your expectations. We change how we feel by changing how we think and what we think.<\/p>\n

In addition to changing how you think, cultivate other practices that will influence positive feelings. Some of my favorites practices are:<\/p>\n