How to Avoid Depression During the Holidays
Start early., Shop ahead., Remember the reason for the season., Manage your children's expectations., Make a mailing list., Use an Advent calendar., Get exercise., Get enough sleep., Eat vitamin-enriched food., Communicate with your partner., Take...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Start early.
As the adage “The early bird catches the worm" counsels, getting a head start on your holiday preparations can save you a lot of headaches later on.
Gather your family members and quiz them on their favorite foods.
Compile a list of your favorite meals, then select the ones that combine the best.
Who ever said you can’t have spaghetti for a holiday meal? Do what works for yourself and your family.
Reaching a compromise and an agreement early on takes the stress out of last-minute meal planning. -
Step 2: Shop ahead.
If you have a mile-long list of people to gift this year, consider buying in bulk.
Forget buying an individual gift for all your child’s preschool pals.
Go to a warehouse which sells things in large quantities and earmark those items for larger groups. , If you come from a Christian background, remind your children that Christmas is not about Santa Claus alone, but about celebrating Jesus’ birthday.
We give and receive gifts as a reminder of his importance in our lives. , It will help prevent an embarrassing outburst on Christmas morning in front of Aunt Sarah when your child fails to get his favorite toy. , Use your Excel computer application, if you have one, to manage your addresses.
Have your children help dig through old Christmas cards to find addresses of long lost friends and relatives.
Allow your children to cut up the old Christmas cards to make new ones of their own. , Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
In order to help children deal with the anxiety of waiting, wrap little treats for the child to open each day after the beginning of Advent, or use a regular calendar and put a special sticker on each day as it begins. , For those in the Northern Hemisphere, light is a precious commodity.
Be sure to get out during your lunch break for a bit of sun exposure.
Even on cloudy days, it can revive your spirit and give you the oxygen you require.
Shovel snow if it applies to you. , Have you noticed that when the days are shorter your need for sleep increases? It is a natural response.
In a way, our bodies shut down.
Honoring your need for rest is as important as ever. , If the sun is weaker in your area, your daily dose of vitamins needs to come from your food intake.
Take vitamins and drink fruit tea and lemon to stave off the common cold. , Oftentimes, admitting you feel blue is all you need to reach acceptance that things aren’t always perfect. , A phone call to distant relatives or friends will brighten both your days. , Helping others often gives a boost to your own spirit, and is a good way to meet new people and build new friendships.
Is there a canned food drive? What about gift wrapping for a charity? Maybe a soup kitchen? , Mark off the days on your calendar to encourage yourself that a new beginning is right around the corner.
Gather with friends to honor this age-old rite of passage into the season of renewal. , To create your own artificial "sunrise" in an otherwise dark bedroom, use a multi-light lamp hooked up to timer.
There are other ways to Brighten-up-a-Dark-Room too. -
Step 3: Remember the reason for the season.
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Step 4: Manage your children's expectations.
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Step 5: Make a mailing list.
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Step 6: Use an Advent calendar.
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Step 7: Get exercise.
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Step 8: Get enough sleep.
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Step 9: Eat vitamin-enriched food.
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Step 10: Communicate with your partner.
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Step 11: Take time to celebrate with friends
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Step 12: or catch up with people you may not see often.
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Step 13: Volunteer in your neighborhood.
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Step 14: Celebrate the winter solstice.
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Step 15: The winter solstice also marks the fewest number of daylight hours
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Step 16: and that can make getting out of bed difficult in the mornings.
Detailed Guide
As the adage “The early bird catches the worm" counsels, getting a head start on your holiday preparations can save you a lot of headaches later on.
Gather your family members and quiz them on their favorite foods.
Compile a list of your favorite meals, then select the ones that combine the best.
Who ever said you can’t have spaghetti for a holiday meal? Do what works for yourself and your family.
Reaching a compromise and an agreement early on takes the stress out of last-minute meal planning.
If you have a mile-long list of people to gift this year, consider buying in bulk.
Forget buying an individual gift for all your child’s preschool pals.
Go to a warehouse which sells things in large quantities and earmark those items for larger groups. , If you come from a Christian background, remind your children that Christmas is not about Santa Claus alone, but about celebrating Jesus’ birthday.
We give and receive gifts as a reminder of his importance in our lives. , It will help prevent an embarrassing outburst on Christmas morning in front of Aunt Sarah when your child fails to get his favorite toy. , Use your Excel computer application, if you have one, to manage your addresses.
Have your children help dig through old Christmas cards to find addresses of long lost friends and relatives.
Allow your children to cut up the old Christmas cards to make new ones of their own. , Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
In order to help children deal with the anxiety of waiting, wrap little treats for the child to open each day after the beginning of Advent, or use a regular calendar and put a special sticker on each day as it begins. , For those in the Northern Hemisphere, light is a precious commodity.
Be sure to get out during your lunch break for a bit of sun exposure.
Even on cloudy days, it can revive your spirit and give you the oxygen you require.
Shovel snow if it applies to you. , Have you noticed that when the days are shorter your need for sleep increases? It is a natural response.
In a way, our bodies shut down.
Honoring your need for rest is as important as ever. , If the sun is weaker in your area, your daily dose of vitamins needs to come from your food intake.
Take vitamins and drink fruit tea and lemon to stave off the common cold. , Oftentimes, admitting you feel blue is all you need to reach acceptance that things aren’t always perfect. , A phone call to distant relatives or friends will brighten both your days. , Helping others often gives a boost to your own spirit, and is a good way to meet new people and build new friendships.
Is there a canned food drive? What about gift wrapping for a charity? Maybe a soup kitchen? , Mark off the days on your calendar to encourage yourself that a new beginning is right around the corner.
Gather with friends to honor this age-old rite of passage into the season of renewal. , To create your own artificial "sunrise" in an otherwise dark bedroom, use a multi-light lamp hooked up to timer.
There are other ways to Brighten-up-a-Dark-Room too.
About the Author
Michael Turner
Writer and educator with a focus on practical lifestyle knowledge.
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