Holidays Not So Holly? Fight The Blues With These 5 Tips From GOC
The Holidays are at full blast! Some of us are still in a candy coma since Halloween, while others suffer from the Thanksgiving Itis. Well, it’s not over yet Seasonal Soldiers! We still have until January 2nd before the three-month war of holidays ends this year, and some of you, including myself, maybe having a hard time.
Feeling down during holidays can be for a number of reasons, for different people. For many, especially college students and those in the military, being away from family and close friends can take the joyful mood out of any Mariah Carey Christmas album. For others, maybe it’s not family, but that special someone that’s not by your side watching a Harry Potter marathon and debating whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie. And for some, the holidays can be a reminder of those we’ve lost.
If you’re Holiday Blues seem to come from no known/clear source and comes around the same time every year, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, and may need to see a doctor help with symptoms. According to Mayo Clinic, SAD is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. If you have major depression or Bipolar Disorder, your symptoms may increase, so please seek help if and when you can.
Friends can be as good as the family!
Maybe there weren’t enough funds in your holiday savings to make it home this year, doesn’t mean you have to be alone! Chances are, you have a couple of friends who for whatever reason are also not going home for the holidays. Get together and have a Merry Friendsmas! Do Secret Santa, on a budget of course. If funds aren’t the issue (hey, families can be stressful), then take a trip with your Holiday Homies and have a good time!
Go watch all those movies that came out!
The end of 2017 has been packed with a plethora of good and shitty things, movies being one of them. Just to knock out the big three, Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, AND Star Wars: The Last Jedi are in theaters RIGHT NOW! Like wow. But let’s not forget, Disney-Pixar’s Coco, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman starring Queen Zendaya, It (2017), and Jumanji (2017), The Rock/Kevin Hart movie of the year, aside from Baywatch and F8 (The Rock stay working, unlike some of his co-stars…).
Embrace the Holiday Spirit!
Maybe the best way for you to get through the holidays is to dive in Jingle Bells deep into the festivities. Buy some ugly sweaters, stock up on hot chocolate and peppermint straws, stock up on that special eggnog if you know what I mean. Go out and explore the many Christmas Tree farms in your town. Search for events going on that might interest you. If it’s ok with them, ask your friends that celebrate this time of year differently to show you their traditions. You might just like the Sufganiyot or the Jollof Rice.
FaceTime, Skype or Google Duo your loved ones!
It’s 2017, we have the technology and the internet, for now. Just because your loved ones are miles away, doesn’t mean you should lose hope of seeing them this holiday season. I’m sure one your cousins or cool aunts, can show the rest of your family how to use their iDroids and Google Pads and set up a digital family get together, saving you from cheek pinches and wet kisses. And the best thing is that you’re not limited to one app or phone, plenty of new options that fit you and your family’s needs.
Do the things you never have time for!
So you put in that time off at work, even though you’re not stepping outside your house, let alone the city, for the next two weeks. Good job, your mental health is important. But what do you do with all this free time? Everything! Or nothing, it’s your free time! Read those books you’ve been putting off since August. Watch ALL the new shows and seasons you’ve missed. Like, Stranger Things (Netflix), Sense8 (Netflix), Agents of Shield (Hulu/Netflix), Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu), The Punisher (Netflix), The Flash (CW), Riverdale (CW), HTGAWM (Hulu/Netflix), American Horror Story (Hulu/Netflix), Black Mirror (Netflix), etc. Who says Spring Cleaning, has to be in the spring? Do something creative and express what you’re feeling through art, poetry or even write the next great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/ story!
You may not feel ok, and that is ok, we at Geeks of Color are here for you, and we wish you a Merry Litmas and Happy Holidays!
