What is New Year’s depression and how to deal with it?
New Year is the most desired and favorite holiday of children and adults. People buy gifts for loved ones and enjoy the holiday atmosphere. As early as mid-November, spruces, garlands and toys decorate shop windows. But not everyone is equally happy holiday. Many people have a depressed emotional state, known as New Year or post-New Year depression. The feeling of a miracle, as in childhood, is no longer there, and negative emotions come in its place – disappointment, bitterness of loss, or a feeling of loneliness.
What is depression and why can it develop before the New Year?
Today depression is one of the major human diseases. More than half of the inhabitants of large cities are subject to its various forms. It develops from a high level of noise, lack of sleep, a high rate of life and a large number of people. Life in a big city is a powerful stress factor in itself, since a person needs to maintain a certain level of life and consumption. As a result of high employment and insufficient sleep and rest, a person has negative emotions – irritability or apathy.
Depression is often confused with a short-term negative emotional state caused by external or internal factors. It can easily pass after the switching of thoughts and attention from a disturbing object to a new setting, exhibition or concert. With depression, depressed state lasts more than 2 weeks, and vacation or sports no longer help. Among her main symptoms, she noted constant fatigue, apathy, gloomy or anxious mood, lack of interest in her hobbies, irritability or tearfulness.
Before the New Year, not all residents of large cities feel elated and believe in miracles. Many are immersed in not the most pleasant thoughts and cares, so they are annoyed by unnecessary “tinsel” and entertaining television shows. Accumulated fatigue or family problems on the background of the general atmosphere of the holiday can cause New Year’s depression.
Negative emotions before the celebration of the New Year
For children, the New Year is the most favorite holiday. Presentations are held in schools and kindergartens, and gifts are distributed in state and commercial organizations – toys or chocolates. Adults participate in corporate events with concert programs.
The older a person becomes, the less he feels a miracle. For many adults, December 31 and January 1 are ordinary days that do not bring anything special. Therefore, they do not experience any positive of emotions from the general fun. If the person still has no family or partner, and friends and relatives are far away, then the feeling of bitterness can only intensify.
As a rule, by the end of the year, many workers sum up the results – they write reports, prepare presentations, collect documents related to their activities. It takes a lot of time and effort, so the holiday atmosphere passes by them. New Year’s holidays lead to large financial costs, so many are sad that they run out of money.
Some adults are briefly “charged” with the atmosphere of universal expectation of a miracle, but in the morning of January 1, everything remains the same. After the holidays, ordinary life returns, in which no miracles take place. In addition, in Russia, the New Year holidays are often associated with an increased use of alcoholic beverages, giving only a short-term and false state of euphoria. Alcohol is depressant, and can only aggravate the depressive state of a person.
Christmas depression quickly passes. But if it is delayed, then the person should contact a psychotherapist who tells you how to get out of depression. In many cases, its cause is much deeper than waiting for a miracle that did not happen on the night of December 31 to January 1.
How to get out of depression after the New Year?
People who are annoyed by the general fun before the New Year holidays, psychologists recommend doing what they like. It is not necessary to watch movies or attend certain events simply because “everybody does it”. If they cause sadness and increase the feeling of loneliness, then you should think about how best to avoid it.
A person celebrating New Year alone can visit a theater or a museum, go on a trip. Many people believe that December 31 and January 1 are the usual days of the calendar, and just fall asleep. Others, on the contrary, have a large selection of invitations, but they do not want to see all their acquaintances or relatives.
It is not necessary to tune yourself in a minor way and decide how to get out of depression, not yet confronted with it. It is better to think about its prevention in advance! Many expect from the holiday something more than just changing one year to another, but expectations are not met.Therefore, you should accept the fact that expectations can not be justified and stop waiting for something extraordinary from the holiday.
For Russia and many other countries of the world, December is the darkest month of the year. Light day ends at 16.00, so the body feels the lack of sunlight. And it also contributes to the development of depression. Improper diet and plenty of alcohol also increase the desire to lie on the couch and do nothing.
People who are accustomed to spend holidays actively – to meet with friends, attend interesting events, engage in winter sports, are less worried about how to get out of depression after the New Year. Active recreation, not related to the use of alcoholic beverages and fatty foods, strengthens the immune system and gives a boost of energy before returning to work.
The main cause of depression before the New Year holidays may not even be a general holiday mood, but problems in the family, illness, conflict or trouble at work. The pleasure of the holiday is often overshadowed by excessive workload at work and large crowds of people in stores.
In order not to reinforce the unfavorable state of mind, it is necessary to reduce the exaggerated expectations from the holiday and to organize your leisure as the person wants and to do what really gives joy. You can not go shopping at the most active time, and make gifts more modest. After all, a holiday is not only a large number of people. It may be a quiet holiday for a narrow circle of close people or even one person.