5 Revelations Why The Traditions of Christmas Can Make You Depressed

As the Christmas season approaches, there’s usually a feeling of yuletide cheer in the air. All you have to do is turn on the TV and you’ll be inundated with the endless stream of commercials. Each product promises they have just what you need to make this the best holiday ever.

For some people, Christmas doesn’t seem to be the most joyous season of all. It can be a time for mild to extreme sadness. To help prevent this, we’ll look at some reasons why the traditions of Christmas can make you depressed and how the following 5 revelations can put you in a different frame of mind.

Revelation #1: Childhood Memories.

Childhood memories are wonderful, and it’s fun to stroll down memory lane. If we’re honest with ourselves, there are things about our childhood that weren’t so great. These memories continue to affect us into adulthood. Consider seeing the traditions of Christmas from a new perspective – the perspective of Christmas as an adult. Christmas childhood memories will always be with us, but don’t use them as a measuring stick as to how Christmas should be for you now.

Revelation #2: Stop Trying to Recreate the Past.

This goes hand in hand with revelation number 2. If you have certain childhood memories you enjoyed and want to pass on to your children, then do so. However, if you’re trying to recreate the past, you may be setting yourself up for double D’s – depression and disappointment. The past is the past. We can’t expect to have things just as they were. Once you accept this, you’ll have a lot less stress during this time of year.

Revelation #3. Create New Adult Christmas Traditions.

As an adult, you get to be creative and set up traditions that support you and make you feel great about this time of year. Embrace the wonderful technology that’s so prevalent in our lives today and create some new traditions. Once you adopt a new mindset about Christmas, you may even start to look forward to it. Traditions can be created by anyone at any time of the year.

Revelation #4. Learn to Say No Without The Need for an Explanation.

Stress and depression usually creep into your life because of the expectations you may have about the holidays. One way to empower yourself at Christmas, and throughout the year is to learn to say no, without any explanation. This may take some practice, but when someone asks you to do something and deep down inside you don’t want to, just give your biggest smile and say, No, I won’t be able to do it. Don’t feel obligated to provide an explanation. Just this alone can take a huge amount of stress from your life, not just during the holidays, but all year.

Revelation #5: Think of Others.

Sometimes, most of the depression and sadness we feel is when we focus too much on ourselves. There is always someone less fortunate than you. With this awareness, you can always find something in your life to be grateful for. When you feel down in the dumps, think of what you can do to make someone else happy. A side effect of making others happy is that you become happy in the process.

Keep in mind that at this time of year, you don’t see the world as it is, you see the world as you are! Be in control of the traditions of Christmas and make a choice to create new traditions this year. Merry Christmas.