WHY DOES THE HOLIDAY SEASON CAUSE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION?

 

     The primary causes of anxiety during the holiday season are (1) difficulty with time management, (2) financial pressures, (3) family events which create stress and emotional triggers, and (4) insecurities toward pleasing friends, family members, and romantic partners.  The primary causes of depression during the holiday season are (1) estrangement from loved ones, (2) grief, (3) loss, and (4) unresolved shame, guilt, and regret.  You may often retreat inward during the holiday season, due to the societal pressure or to your own self-induced pressure to be “happy” or “perfect.”  

         As a result, you may hide from or deny your painful thoughts and emotions.  However, you can use this internal retreat as a valuable tool for self-reflection and for reaffirming your true higher self.  This process is not always easy, but leaning into these dark moments is the pathway to freedom from past traumas and insecurities.  Holding on too tightly to past traumatic memories and disturbing thoughts will keep you tense, angry, regretful, and “stuck” in sadness and anxiety.