{"id":2440,"date":"2012-12-12T18:53:30","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T17:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=2440"},"modified":"2023-03-04T13:15:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T13:15:17","slug":"seasonal-depression-during-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/seasonal-depression-during-the-holidays.htm","title":{"rendered":"Seasonal Joy or Lonely in a Crowd? Planning for Sad Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DealingSeasonal Depression: Dealing with Sadness during the Holidays<\/span><\/p>\n

As the holiday season approaches not everyone feels filled with joy. Many people dread this time of year. There is a perception – sometimes true, sometimes not – that families everywhere are coming together in joyous union. We can imagine that people have more company, are less lonely and relish being part of an upcoming celebratory time. For many, though, this is not their experience of this season. Some people feel more alone. They have lost loved ones and grieve more deeply at these times and feel their absence more powerfully. They feel lonely in the hustle and bustle of the seasonal crowd and bereft at family festivities. If you are one of these people and you know that the coming holiday season will bring you more pain than pleasure, due to hurtful memories and painful absences, it is actually possible to plan for this difficult time and any seasonal depression.<\/p>\n

Often we let these dark times creep up on us and then just endure them. When you know a difficult time is coming, particularly at this holiday season when the rest of the world is frantic and busying themselves \u2013 happily or otherwise \u2013 consider doing some different things and making some changes. Prepare ahead for this difficult spell rather than waiting for it to strike and then feeling incapable of doing anything to raise your spirits. This idea also applies to difficult annual anniversaries \u2013 when emotional pain overwhelms you. Here are a few thoughts to prepare ahead for the harsh feelings of loss and the loneliness which encompasses them and to nip isolation and depressed feelings before they take hold of you:<\/p>\n