Holiday Fever

It's very easy, during the holidays, to succumb to a pretty severe sense of isolation.

Maybe you can't see your family this year, for whatever reason.
Maybe your friends are all with their families, so there's nothing much to do.
Maybe you're simply out of school, off work, and find yourself with too much time to think.

In any case, it's a very unpleasant feeling to have.
Is it correct? Is your mind playing a trick on you, or does the feeling have a real basis?



I've given it a lot of thought, per usual...I'm familiar with the concept outside of the holiday season, after all.

Without delving deep into the realms of my somewhat depressed mind, I can share a few things.

First? Winter has this nasty ability to be very grey. The sun is shaded, and the level of light outside gets sucked dry of color.

You may think that doesn't change much. Hell, maybe you don't go outside very often.
Fact is, it does. It's dark earlier, usually too cold to go out and do things, and you get a very real sort of cabin fever.
It isn't even that you would actually go out to do things, but the lack of ability is really grating. It eats at you.

Then, let's face it, your friends often are with their families. The sources of companionship around this time of year are very limited, if you can't go home.

And honestly, even if you can go home, it's very easy to forget how annoying your family can become after a few days locked inside with them.

Now couple these feelings with the stresses of shopping, of the countdown to the days that really matter, of the countless hours of nothing to do but watch tv...

Yep, you've got a recipe for seasonal depression. Ever wonder why it's so nice to drink yourself stupid on NYE? See above.

Am I going to say you can fix this? No. But there are some things that help, and you may have overlooked them.

First - you're reading this blog. Odds are good you've felt some of the things I've mentioned. Has it occurred to you yet that you are very clearly not the only one?

Think about it. You've got friends and acquaintances that are in precisely the same situation as you, right now. I promise. Look on Facebook, with that in mind. Arrange a movie night, a drinking night, a poker night, whatever suits you best. It'll break the monotony.

Aside from that, there are, in fact, places to go at this time of year. Get over the hatred of the cold and go see some lights, there's a reason people feel obligated to put up colorful things in the washed-out world beyond the frosted windows.

Most often, people make Christmas plans with their families, and New Year's plans with their friends. But what about the days in between?

Do yourself a favor, and find something more to do with them. A series of seemingly simple actions can turn a day from bad to decent, surprisingly enough.

Or maybe you love the holidays, and are enjoying some hot chocolate and wondering why I'm so jaded. In that case...

Merry Christma-hana-qwanzi-kah.

- C