a disappointment at what has changed, or stayed the same.
the fact that it seems nothing has changed that causes them stress.
If you associate the holidays with a bad time in your life - the loss of a loved one, a previous depression - this time of year will naturally bring those memories back. The holiday season is a break from your normal routine and, as such, gives you time to think and reflect – sometimes to your detriment. The holiday season often highlights what has changed in your life. If these changes are good ones – a great new job, a marriage, a new baby – they had a certain stress but a happy one. If however you've experienced traumatic change through the year like a divorce, or a death in the family these changes can unsettle you and your holiday gathering." It can be hard to deal with these
The monotonous sameness of family holiday gatherings can be depressing - the same faces, the same jokes, the same food, looking at the same skew tree can be a reminder of a stuck life.
Zane Wilson Founder and Director: South African Depression and Anxiety Group
The holiday season is a break from your normal
What about this time of the year that gets you down - really? F or many of us there's a general sense of unease and anxiety but once you are able to cut through that vague sense of dread and identify specific problems, you are able to deal with them directly. Holiday stress can be triggered by a variety of things including unhappy memories, toxic relatives, or self-reflection and
"My cousins and I always laugh and mouth the words of the jokes that my uncle tells at Christmas. They've been the same jokes since I was 5", says 28-year old Ronny. "We laugh about it but inside I feel angry, numb. I wonder routine and, as such, gives you time to think and reflect
emotions and memories, particularly over the festive
season. Keeping things bottled up is a very bad idea and can make matters so much worse.
For some people, however, it is
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