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Mind-blowing New Year Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions date back thousands of years to the Babylonians, who celebrated their first barley harvest.  Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change. The recurring themes each year include a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development. Despite the best of intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many people struggle to make good on their plans.  Follow this steps if you want to realize your New Year’s Resolutions: 1. Mentally prepare for change The first breakthrough in change is taking a personal inventory. Being that it’s the end of one year and the beginning of the next, it’s perfect timing to take stock of the past year’s accomplishments. Think about the following: What did I set out to do in the past year? Where did I make progress? Where didn’t I see progress? Naturally, your resolution m...
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Curbing depression during holidays

When the holidays come around, they bring a variety of events, social interactions and challenges. Sometimes the resulting stress has to do with the pressure of how many responsibilities someone has.

For many people, the holidays are a time to look forward to. Even with the stresses of meal planning, travel and gift giving, many of us still find it to be a happy time of the year. But that isn’t always the case. For some people, the holidays can be a difficult and emotionally exhausting time.

Stress can lead to an increased risk of illness, substance misuse, and higher rates of anxiety and depression.

The holiday months are spent differently by everyone, and personal circumstances play a big part in how and why someone may experience stress or sadness. 

Here are some of the most common causes for depression during the holidays.

  • Travel stress
  • Stressful family gatherings
  • First holiday season after the passing of someone you love
  • Loneliness
  • Disappointment over not being able to see family and friends
  • Pandemic isolation and worries about gathering safely
  • Generalized stress (this may be due to responsibilities, more social interactions, and less time to relax and recharge)
  • Physical and mental fatigue
  • Pressures of perceived obligations (may be related to travel, meal planning, gift giving and more)
  • Financial stress
  • High expectations – often caused by the exaggerated portrayal of the holidays on TV, in movies, the media and on social media
  • Relationship heartbreak

Symptoms of seasonal depressive disorder and the holiday blues:

  • Tiredness or lack of energy
  • No longer enjoying activities that you previously liked
  • Persistent feelings of guilt, worthlessness or hopelessness
  • Change in personal relationships
  • Change in sleep patterns
  • Change in appetite, or weight loss or gain
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Difficulty working
  • General irritability

What to do during the holidays? 

There are many ways to take care of your mental well-being during the holidays. Some of these strategies may work better for you than others. But be sure to try a few to find what works best and makes a difference in how you’re feeling.

  • Make sure your expectations are realistic. Ask yourself if you’re expecting too much from yourself. Or perhaps whether you’re expecting too much from someone else. Then, see how those expectations are making you feel. Are they helpful or stressful?
  • Practice saying ‘no’. You’re one person, and there’s only so much you can do in a given day or a given holiday. Remind yourself that it’s okay to say no.
  • Limit external sources of holiday pressure. Maybe take a break from social media if seeing other people’s holiday photos is causing you to engage in self-comparison. Find winter activities to enjoy (either solo or with others) that aren’t associated with the holidays – like snowshoeing, for example.
  • Don’t slack on self-care. If going to yoga helps you cope with stress, keep doing that. If spending time with friends or family helps, connect with them often. Take time for yourself and be open to experimenting with new self-care strategies.
  • Talk to a mental health professional. Talk therapy can help you cope with stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. And if you’re dealing with holiday-related stress or season affective disorder, your therapist may also recommend light box therapy, medication or helpful lifestyle changes to help alleviate some of your symptoms.
  • Practice meditation/prayer/gratitude.
  • Choose non-alcoholic ways to be festive.


By: H. Odude 

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