What Psychologists Want You To Know About The Holiday Blues

Holiday blues can make some people dread the season, starting with Turkey Day and continuing through the new year. Other people drag through the winter months, including the holidays, with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that can occur as your body responds to fewer daylight hours. But there are things you can do to combat winter sadness. To help keep your spirits up during the dark, cold months, we asked what mental health professionals want you to know about being blue this time of year — and what you can do to lift your mood.  Holiday Blues and SAD: Two Different Conditions Feeling down over the winter holidays is not the same as having SAD. "SAD is thought to be due to the lack of sunlight in the winter season," says Simon Rego, PsyD, director of psychology training at the Montefiore Medical Center and associate professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Your body reacts to lower levels of sunshine with lagging energy, a need for more sleep, and a general ''blah'' feeling.     "Holiday blues is situational," Dr. Rego explains. "It's people's reactions to stuff.'' That stuff could be pressure to shop, be cheery, and get together with people you don't especially like. Some symptoms of SAD and holiday blues can be quite similar, he says, including feelings of stress, tension, and sadness. ''You're always trying to find psychological reasons [for SAD], but it's pegged to li...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news