Coping With Hardships During The Holidays

Christmas Encouragement

December 22, 2017

Not everyone experiences the joy of the season. There are many who are just wishing this time away. I know many who are just saying, “Let me go to sleep and wake up December 26 or better yet, January 2, 2018”.

Do you know anyone who is experiencing any of the symptoms below?

There are many reasons which cause hardships during this time of the year which contribute to this discouragement and depression. Some of these reasons consist of:

• Loneliness, whether you are single or a widow.
• Grieving the loss of a loved one or close friend.
• Financial hardships, when you battle a lack of funds all year long, this time of the year causes even more discouragement and stress because you can not share gifts with your loved ones like everyone else.
• Relationship hardships, is your relationship strained between your spouse or parents or additional family members? This strain can become intense due to the stress and strain of the holiday season.
• Health issues can be extremely hard whether by you or a loved one. If there are health issues in a family, this can add strain to those who love this person. I know so many families who have been touched by the ugly word, cancer. There are many who are experiencing this great difficulty but struggle even more so this time of the year when the joy of the season are expectations whether financially, emotionally, or socially that a sick person dealing with health issues are not able to perform. This can cause great discouragement and stress which makes life even harder then what it already is.

As I have observed some of these difficulties above I have also learned of the following coping strategies to survive these next few days. Consider doing some of these if you are struggling with depression this time of the year.

• Be mindful of your personal struggles and accept them. Do not ignore them because of societal standards.
• Be sure to get your sleep. Sleep deprivation is extremely hard on your emotions and can cause them to run out of control.
• Maintain your daily routine. Routine is important to keep you mentally stable and physically grounded to what is “normal” to you.
• Eat healthy and stay hydrated. A change in your diet or dehydration can cause changes in your body causing these emotions to be more enhanced.
• Maintain your exercise routine if you have one or consider walking to produce your endorphins which will help battle against the discouragement and depression.
• Do not consume excessive alcohol or drugs in order to cover up the pain of the Season. This will only cause bigger issues that will make everything worse then what they already are.
• Find a friend who understands where you are or what you are feeling. There is comfort in finding others who understand your pain.

There are many more strategies to cope with this difficult time of the year and I hope you have something that works to make the next week a little more bearable.

If you know of anyone who is struggling this time of the year, reach out and share some extra love, compassion, and understanding with them. They need it.

Hugs to each and everyone of you who are struggling to get through this season. You are not alone, there are many who find themselves sharing the same emotions.