Viewing entries tagged
Sadness

Depression: A Wintry Season

If you experience depression, it may feel like winter a majority of the time: cold, dreary, foggy, and very little sunshine! The season of winter also triggers a time of depression for many people. Whether due to the holiday season, the cold and dreary weather, or other factors, many people experience an increase in sadness and depression during winter months.

Depression means feeling sad or down pervasively. Perhaps you feel helpless or hopeless. Maybe you've lost interest in things that were once enjoyable for you. Do you cry often and have a hard time holding back tears? Are you having trouble sleeping, or are you feeling tired often? Perhaps you feel worthless or experience excessive guilt. Is it hard to concentrate or make decisions on a regular basis?

If you are having these symptoms on a daily basis for longer than 2 weeks and it is not the result of a significant loss in your life, it is time to consult with a therapist or a doctor about your symptoms of depression. If you have some of these symptoms sometimes but they do not interfere with your ability to work or engage in relationships (occupational and social functioning) then keep reading!

Grief and the Holidays

The holidays are often difficult for many of us who have lost a loved one. Whether or not we lost our loved one around the holidays, this time of year can be very painful. Memories tend to come flooding back, usually uninvited. Oftentimes the people around us speak very little of the one we lost, perhaps "not to bring up anything that would make us upset", and maybe because they are uncomfortable with pain or sorrow themselves. However, we would typically benefit from talking about the ones we have lost, even if just for a moment. We need to connect with our lost loved one in some way, in many ways, during the holiday season.