|
Lighting holiday darkness |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Erin Frustaci
|
|
Thursday, 07 December 2006 |
|
|
|
|
 Even Elvis knew the holidays are not always merry and white — sometimes they are truly blue. Somehow between the presents, decorations, lights and cookies, sadness seeps in.
If you find yourself feeling paradoxical anguish instead of the usual good cheer, you might have inadvertently become mired in the “holiday blues.” It’s a temporary, usually mild form of depression that can paint over even the most well-meaning holiday spirits among us.
Sharon Clemens, an on-call therapist with Connections, said many people develop feelings of stress, depression and anxiety during the holidays. Connections is a partnership of the Health District and the Larimer Center for Mental Health.
“In a nutshell, people have expectations of how the holiday should be,” she said.
Many people expect the holidays to look a certain way, but too many demands can be exhausting. Clemens said it is important to set apart some time from your busy schedule for yourself. Proper sleep and exercise are crucial during stressful times.
 |
 |
The holiday blues can mimic clinical depression or seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, aptly enough) is a type of depression that appears to be associated with light deprivation. It can recur each fall and winter during the year’s shortest and darkest days. Many SAD sufferers find relief in frequent, regular exposure to lighting devices supplying full-spectrum fluorescent light.
For others, the holidays stir up feelings of loneliness.
“Some people do not have a lot of human support,” Clemens said. “They expect everyone else is having a great time with family while they are by themselves.”
To combat the lonely bug, Clemens recommends finding a group of people with whom to run. This could be as simple as volunteering at a shelter. For those who are grieving a loss, finding someone to talk to is part of the grieving process and can help during the holiday season.
Another big cause of holiday stress is money — spending to much of it. The frenzy of gift buying can easily put people in debt.
“Charging the credit card elongates anxiety,” Clemens said.
Instead of spending the rest of the year paying it off, give homemade gifts or give your time instead.
Although the holidays are a dangerous time for depression and added stress, even more people experience post-holiday let down after Jan. 1, according Mental Health America.
Roger Coughlan, a clinical social worker with Front Range Psychotherapy Associates in Fort Collins, said people tend to wait until the holidays are over to address these issues.
“A procrastinating effect comes in,” he said. “When the holidays are over, people face another year with personal goals that they now have to address because they have been putting them off.”
The difference between holiday blues and depression is holiday blues can come one day and be gone the next, he said.
“Basically, we all tend to have these ‘should’ and ‘must’ expectations,” Clemens said. “We just have to watch them. There’s more to the holidays than food and purchasing.”
McClatchy-Tribune contributed to this story.
———— SEASONAL TIPS:
Here’s some tips to keep you from plummeting into the red this holiday season, gathered from Dawn Davis, senior vice president of First Bank of Northern Colorado: 1. Create a budget and stick to that budget. 2. Take cash and only use that cash from your holiday budget. Once the cash is gone, the cash is gone. That way you won’t overspend. 3. Don’t bounce checks because that will only cause you to be out $30 more. 4. If you are going to use a credit card, only charge what you can afford to pay off at the end of the month. 5. Look for zero-interest deals, but make sure you can pay them off. Davis cautions against getting in-store credit cards, which have high interest rates. If you charge $1,000 on an in-store credit card that pays 21 percent, you will be charged an additional $200 per year. —— surviving relativesHolidays are a time we spend with family — whether we like it or not. Unlike spouses and friends, we do not have the luxury of choosing family. We can, however, take measures to secure our sanity. Here’s how to survive your relatives, NEXTnc style:
1. Become the official runner. Out of milk and eggs? No problem. Volunteer to run to the store. That’s an easy escape.
2. Once at the store “accidentally” forget something or “accidentally” buy the wrong kind. This gives you yet another get-out-of-jail-free card because you’ll have to make another grocery run.
3. Bond with the kids. They are usually less judgmental and easier to talk to.
4. Bond with the pets. Dog, cat, hamster, lizard. Doesn’t matter. Like kids, pets are less judgmental and easier to talk to.
5. TV. There’s a game on somewhere in the world.
6. That pesky sound your car has been making for nine months? What better time to fix it than now.
7. Pre-emptive strikes. Pinch Aunt Edith’s cheeks first. Tell your mother-in-law that her greenbean casserole is bland. Observe how your sister is on her fourth glass of wine. That’ll get the sparks flying.
8. Speaking of wine, hide stashes of alcohol throughout the house, so you’ll always have something within reach.
9. Don’t shower for a week beforehand. Even Aunt Edith will leave you alone.
10. End every sentence by yelling “Yee-haw!” at the top of your lungs. Those annoying when-are-you-going-to-get-married, when-are-you-going-to-have-kids questions will end pronto.
NEXTnc staff reports
——— destressingFeeling a little tense? Nothing says stress relief like a downward dog. Jake Vanvonderen, owner/ director of Old Town Yoga Studio in Fort Collins said yoga — like any other form of exercise — is a great way to relieve stress. “It’s a good way to reconnect with our bodies and with what is going on inside, rather than become overwhelmed with external craziness,” he said. Vanvonderen said people hold a lot of stress and tension in their muscles. Stretching releases those emotions that get trapped in the muscles, he said. Several places offer classes on a walk-in basis. If you are looking for a place to de-stress, here are a few to get you started:
• Old Town Yoga Studio, 237 1/2 Jefferson St., Fort Collins. 222.2777
• Bikram Yoga Old Town, 159 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins. 472.5700
• Bikram’s Yoga of Fort Collins, 4021 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. 223.9642
• Yoga Center At The Pulse, 2555 S. Shields St., Fort Collins. 490.1300
• Life Source One, 2961 29th St., Greeley. 351.8083
Erin Frustaci
——— debt factorWeb Sites like www.bankrate.com/brm/calc/creditcardpay.asp let you calculate how much your credit card balance will cost you in the long run.
Dawn Davis, First Bank of Northern Colorado
——— tree huntingFRESHNESSTrees start to dry out after they’re cut, so keeping them fresh requires lots of water. Pre-cut, bagged trees dry out on the lots. Bend the twigs to see if they’re still supple, shake the tree to see if the needles hold on well. Ask the vendor when and where the trees were cut, and how they were stored. SHAPEWill the trunk fit into your tree-holder at home without having to whittle away the water-transporting outer layers? Does the tree stand straight, with a central stem for placing an ornament at the top? Don’t just settle for a tree wrapped in a net, take a good look at it first.
Tips and illustration by McClatchy-Tribune
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
| |
