Holiday Blues or depression?

<p>The New Year is just around the corner - that last big hurrah that ends the holiday party season with such a bang.</p><p>But in the midst of what is supposed to be a season of joy, it can be a difficult time of year for many people. The nights are long, the sunlight is thin and stress levels are high. Chances are you or someone you know is overwhelmed with a serious case of the Holiday Blues.</p><p>You meant to do it differently this year, but it just didn't turn out that way. Once again, you lost control to the Christmas machine, to nostalgic attempts to create a "perfect" holiday, to the media's idea of how it should be. Your attempts to live up to the demands of the season fell short again.</p><p>So what kind of New Year's resolutions can you make that can help you get over those blues and avoid them next year? And how can you tell if your feelings are a sign of s omething more serious?</p><p>First, decide for yourself what this season means for you and prioritize your activities. Do all you can to prevent the media from shaping your holiday. Maxing out the credit cards, impossible expectations and excessive drinking and eating can be a real source of the post-holiday blues. Re-examine your gift giving and consider expressing your love in more direct ways than gifts. Enjoy activities that are free: family outings to look at the holiday lights, games around a roaring fire, or a simple cup of mulled wine with a loved one. Hold true to your own values that reflect this season.</p><p>Remember that the holidays do not banish sadness and loneliness. These feelings may be more prevalent this time of year, and that is normal. But if the sadness is pervasive, and the negative feelings are overwhelming, it may be that you suffer from clinical depression. If you or someone you care about seems " stuck" in the blues for more than a few weeks, it may be time to ask for help.</p><p>Clinical depression is painful. Sufferers feel bad even when things go right - and they feel this way for more than a couple of weeks at a time. It is more than a temporary sadness. Depression permeates their life and the lives of those around them. The common symptoms are well known: feeling constantly sad, hopeless or guilty; experiencing persistent changes in sleep or appetite; and a loss of interest in usual fun activities. But depression can also manifest itself as physical pain or as inappropriate anger. When we are depressed, we are unable to think clearly and are at risk of making choices that we later regret. These choices can sometimes be fatal.</p><p>In spite of the bleak hopelessness that depression brings, there are effective treatments. Medication can allow a depressed person to think clearly again, and with clear thoughts, we can sometimes make changes that allow us to overcome the depression without continual use of medication.</p><p>Whether you feel the Holiday Blues or are dealing with a more painful depression, make it one of your New Year's resolutions to address your emotional health this year. Know that the physical body and the emotional body are interconnected and indivisible, and true health addresses both. Be true to your values and make one of those values good total health in 2006.</p><h3>RESOURCES</h3> <p>www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/</p><p>www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm</p>