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I’m Not Always Cheerful During the Holidays
But I make it through them
It’s here. The ads. The lights. The jingles.
The winter holidays? Already? Yes, they’re starting. Where I live, it has already snowed, and people have asked if I started shopping for gifts.
The holidays are always a tough time for me. I get seasonal affective disorder, which usually hits me like a sock filled with quarters. Many people get winter blues, but it doesn’t send them into therapy.
Part of the problem is that it’s hard to be sad when you know you’re supposed to feel happy. People sing “Joy to the World” and urge you to be merry.
It’s also really, really hard to get excited about buying stuff when you’re broke.
I know there’s a lot to like about the holidays. Peppermint candies, cookies, pie! But there’s a lot to dislike. There’s a lot of pressure for everything to be perfect.
Not surprisingly, stress is a common cause of the holiday blues.
It’s not just the expectations that can wear you down. Other things that can help your mood, like exercise and seeing the sun, get harder to do as the days grow shorter and temperatures drop.
When I was a kid, Christmas was the best holiday. You get time off from school, and…
