Seniors and the “Post-Holiday Blues”

By Debbie Reis, President, January 6, 2010

There are seniors who find that as the holiday season unfolds they feel progressively disappointed, stressed and sad. Older adults may not feel so excited about winter holidays as they used to. It can be caused by a number of things, but can be dealt with as part of the range of normal feelings. Progress can come from accepting the negative feelings as well as taking proactive steps and healthy holiday tips to get through the season.
Possible Causes of Holiday Blues Among Older Adults
It can be as simple as financial and social pressures or as complex as a lingering loneliness or grief which is intensified by all the talk about family closeness and love. When individuals have lost family members or friends the sadness is often intensified during this time of year. There is also reason to believe the decreased exposure to light adds to the mix due to shorter days and the tendency to stay inside during the winter.

There are many influencing factors that can contribute to seniors (individuals over, say, 65) being at particular risk of suffering from the “post-holiday blues,” including:

• Reminders of past losses of significant loved ones.
• Sadness over the contrast between “then” and “now”.
• Having spent the holidays alone.
• Fatigue.
• Coping with failing health.

Tips to Help Overcome These Factors:

• Keep a schedule. Write a routine down. Since there’s so much emotion in the air, choose not to act on winter depression only, but rather go by a schedule. Make it loose enough for extra activities, yet structured enough to give the day some shape. For example, set a time for meals. Do some physical activity in the morning. Read or watch a movie after lunch.
• Email or call at least one person, or socialize in other ways. Sometimes just a short chat can help relieve holiday stress.
• Consider walking outside, at a local mall, or another place with sights to see; enjoy nature or just go people watching.
• Have a cup of tea or coffee at a certain time each day.
• Take a shower and dress warmly.
• Open the shades, blinds or curtains. Sunlight has often been shown to be helpful in relieving seasonal affective depression. Some people even use seasonal affective disorder light therapy.
• Find TV programs or music to enjoy.
• Tend a garden or even plant something.
• Smile even if no one is looking. In fact, force a smile upon awakening. It can become a habit.
• Don’t hesitate to seek professional help from a doctor or counselor.

The Effect of the Shorter Darker Days of Winter

For some people, the shorter, darker days of winter are enough to bring them down. SAD, which is short for Seasonal Affective Disorder, affects millions of people of all ages. The word “affective” relates to emotions, and for those who experience SAD, their emotions go into a tail-spin throughout the winter months, causing such symptoms as depression, fatigue, anxiety, chronic over-eating and social withdrawal that persist until Spring brings longer, lighter days.

If you feel down for days on end during the weeks and months following the winter holidays, it’s important to seek advice from a mental health professional as soon as possible, particularly if you notice that your sleep and appetite are affected. SAD is very treatable; even the most severe cases can receive almost immediate relief once treatment has begun.

The American Psychiatric Association reports that “80% to 90% of all people with depression–even those with the severest cases–improve once they receive appropriate treatment.” Basic ways to treat depression include therapy, medication, and a combination of the two. There are therapists who are particularly skilled at helping those who are suffering from depression so that they’re better able to look to the new year–and many more holiday and post-holiday seasons–with renewed energy and optimism.

Tags:

Posted in: Uncategorized