You’ve likely heard the line,
“suicides spike around the holidays.”
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The truth is, November and December see the fewest suicides year-round. There are a few reasons this myth of more suicides exists... First, there’s the ubiquitous showing of the film It’s a Wonderful Life, where the main character contemplates suicide just before Christmas. But another contributor is one we can’t ignore – although suicide rates lower during the holidays, depression does increase. Depression rates rise around the winter holidays for a simple reason – stress. Demands for spending money on gifts, traveling, and spending time with family all take a toll on our mental health. What’s more, December, January, and February do have the highest rates of death by all causes. We’ve written before that we believe the underlying factor is stress. When the holidays come around, we do too much, travel too much, spend too much, and – for some folks – log too many hours with our families. Clearly, the increased mortality includes other factors... We eat and drink a little too much, and hospitals during holidays often
face staffing shortages. For that matter, the time change ending daylight saving time kicks off this season of stress by disrupting our sleep patterns. (Another great example of government do-gooders fixing something that ain’t broke.) Stress lays the groundwork for a deadly chain reaction in our bodies. And we know that pervasive, unchecked stress leads to depression.
Demands for spending money on gifts, traveling, and spending time with family all take a toll on our mental health.
So over the coming weeks, we urge you to take a break and manage your stress levels. Boosting the happiness chemicals in your brain, for example, will not only lower stress, but reduce pain and lower our risk for heart attacks. Happiness also boosts your immune system – just in time for cold and flu season. There are plenty of ways to lower stress by boosting your happiness. The key is to tap into your hormones. Four neurotransmitters all work to lower stress and increase contentment...
American Consequences
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