Post-Holiday Depression: A Spiritual Message From Self? (Part 1 of 3)
Quote: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller
Affirmation: “I will temporarily offer my shoulder but not my back.”
Finally! The hectic holidays are over. After indulging in some of the best parties of the year, why are you feeling so low and what can you do to get rid of the blues?
Don’t despair. You are not alone. Mild post–holiday depression and even cold Seasonal Affective Depression known as SAD can follow you into June and through the heat of summer as Post Vacation Depression. But, life is often more about perception than fact. And if you choose to view it as such, depression can become an asset in your life in the form of life-saving warning signs and inner spiritual guidance. Turn the-blues into motivation for change rather than a hindrance for life.
You’ve been focused on meeting the holiday needs of family and friends. It may be time to tune-into yourself. Speaking as a three-time breast cancer survivor, my severe bouts of depression taught me to be aware of my choices; take pills to alleviate and ignore it, or face it and figure out what my body, psyche and inner-guidance were telling me about my life. Occasionally, the choice was as simple and complicated as life and death.
According to research and studies done at the Mayo Clinic, the end of a holiday is often the beginning of depression. Just as we can physically crash after extensive sugar, we can feel down after a long party. The pendulum of life had swung far over into the extreme energy mode of multiple merry-making events like Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and finally Easter. The turkey has been carved, the gifts put away and all the eggs found. Now, as the pendulum swings back into normal it can feel like a let-down rather than a relief.
This particular type of depression is also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder, aka SAD. According to Medicine Net the symptoms are similar to Post Vacation Depression. It is normal to have a few of the symptoms listed below. The challenge is when you suffer from many of them at the same time. It may be a sign that you are SAD.
Check the 9 symptoms below to see how SAD you may be. Do you have:
- unexplained fatigue
- crying spells
- mood swings
- irritability
- trouble concentrating
- unexplained body aches
- no sex drive
- insomnia,
- overeating and weight gain especially from consuming carbohydrates
Now you know the symptoms.
Causes of post-holiday depression may be:
- Unmet expectations
- Unrealistic New Year resolutions
- A return to loneliness after the departure of friends and family
- Guilt about holiday overindulgence
- Seasonal depression pattern
Depression is often a symptom, not an illness. Alleviating a symptom does not cure the disorder and this one is not something to ignore.
Research has consistently shown a strong link between suicide and depression. According to a Center for Disease Control study concerning suicide facts and Suicide Awareness Vices of Education, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds. An estimated quarter million people each year become suicide survivors.
Our emotional discomfort can be so great we would rather considered death by our own hand as a means of escape rather than staying and facing our “ghosts.”
However, deciding to see what lessons can be learned from depression is often the first step toward a cure.
It is like pulling the knife from your heart and using it to cut through life’s Bull-sh#t.
During my treatment, depression was a frequent companion. Looking back on those trying times now allows me to answer difficult questions previously avoided such as,
- “Why was I really depressed?”
- “How can depression serve me and what does that teach me?”
Our mind is incredibly powerful and will create or manifest situations to serve and save us.
My conclusion is depression and illness can be a way of forcing us to slow down and “look within” at memories (old baggage), events (past and present cycles), people (relationships), and life-styles (habits) are not to our benefit. Without depression, it may be easier to continue accepting whatever life throws our way—settling for less than what is needed and/or deserved.
Watch for part 2 of this article for solutions and tips on how to overcome post-holiday depression.
Kathleen (Kat) O’Keefe-Kanavos is a TV Producer/Host and Author/Lecturer of the award winning, International bestseller, Surviving Cancerland: Intuitive Aspects of Healing which promotes patient advocacy and connecting with inner guidance for success in health, wealth, and relationships. Learn more@ www.KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com.
