12-15-09

Holiday Blues

The holiday season can be a stressful and even sad time for some people, which may be caused by unrealistic expectations.

Some people experience the “holiday blues” during this time of year.  This feeling of being “let down” is fairly common, says Dr. Kathleen Bottum, assistant professor of medicine and psychiatry at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.  She explains some possible causes of the blue feeling.

SOUND BITE: “Common ones are family stressors. It’s a time when you want to be close to your family.  You may or may not actually be close to family.  You may feel like you don’t have family.  But there is an expectation that there would be this togetherness and closeness that often in reality isn’t reality of what’s there.  Money is a big stressor.  People have an expectation that they need to buy expensive gifts for their family and they can’t do that. ”

In addition to financial stresses and some people not having much family around, Dr. Bottum says holiday blues can be influenced by other things such as bad weather, shortened daylight hours and lack of sleep.  She advises people to modify their holiday expectations, relax and not expect everything to be perfect.   She offers some tips for people who experience these feelings.

SOUND BITE:  TR 1 (3:09 – 3:36)  “I think in terms of helping yourself, one of the most important things is to take care of yourself.  Healthy living, getting enough sleep, paying attention to diet and exercise, and doing the things that you need to take care of yourself.  And if you’re observing someone else going through this, allow them the time and effort to do that.  Sometimes, people need to create new traditions.”

Dr. Bottum says a blue feeling should last only a few weeks, but it could develop into a more serious condition if these symptoms continue.  For serious depression, she recommends seeing a family doctor or mental health counselor for an evaluation and possible treatment.

This is Ruth Slottag, at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.