The Philippine Online Chronicles

Christmas is supposed to be fun, so why are you feeling sad? All the colourful lights are up, the tree is glistening with its array of holiday baubles, and music from A Charlie Brown Christmas is blasting from your speakers. Why is it then that you’re still feeling anxious?

The holiday blues got to you. Feeling anxious during the holidays is normal. Perhaps spending Christmas away from home is getting you down. Maybe your weight is worrying you, especially with all the traditional Christmas temptations on the buffet. Even if you feel overwhelmed this season, holiday blues can be managed. Take a deep breath, get out of bed and stay with me. We won’t have you feeling like one of Santa’s cheery little helpers, but we’ll at least get you of that slump.

Have you thought of celebrating the holidays a different way? In the 2004 film “Christmas with the Kranks”, a couple decides to skip Christmas when their daughter has to spend Christmas away from them. They’re cold, sad and blue, so what else is there to do? They decide to go skip all things that celebrate the season – from not having a tree to declining presents. Christmas eve would be spent on a cruise ship instead of carolling with the neighbours. While the couple ultimately ends up spending Christmas the traditional way (a.k.a. getting reunited with their daughter), you have to admit that deciding to skip Christmas is one gutsy move!

Think about how you’d want to celebrate the holidays your way. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas the way you’ve always had. Reinvest Christmas by creating new traditions. Spend Christmas away from home. Get a pink tree instead of a green one. Prepare a different buffet instead of the usual dishes at Noche Buena. Get out of the city and check out how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the country. Be like the Kranks and not celebrate the holidays at all. There are many ways you can enjoy the holiday season. Perhaps shaking things up a little bit is all you need to enjoy it in a refreshing way. The key thing to remember is to invest your time in activities that make you happy.

What if you surrounded yourself with people you like? It’s easy to slip back into your shelf when holiday depression creeps in. All you need is a bunch of lonely Christmas songs, a bottle of wine, a cozy blanket and a bunch of DVDs. Right? Wrong. Forget that. Get out of those pyjamas and put on some nice clothes. Go spend time with people you LIKE. Activities that connect us socially, such as hanging out with family and friends, can boost our happiness. The holiday season is not only about giving, it’s about relationships. This is a great time to build bonds. Choosing who you spend your time with can make you happy. Why hang out with energy drainers and negative people when you can spend time with the people who put a smile in your heart?

Another way to boost the happiness factor via social connections is to volunteer. If you’re spending the holidays alone and aren’t loving that idea, volunteering could give you a little more Christmas cheer. A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shares that small thoughtful gestures towards others can bring about a great deal of happiness and build stronger relationships. Check out your neighbourhood parish to see how you can help with Christmas festivities. They’ll surely appreciate extra hands and a genuine desire to help.

Do you realize you can still plan ahead even if Christmas is days away? Maybe you were caught up in a work deadline so your tree isn’t up yet. Perhaps you just couldn’t get the Christmas spirit hence your Christmas shopping list has not been completed. You’re beginning to panic and realize that you can’t get all these done in a couple of days. Before you burst into tears and get the blues, relax. You can do this. All you need is a few hours to plot your timetable and Christmas can still be hassle-free. The first thing you have to do is to prioritize. When plotting your social calendar, which parties do you really want to attend? Don’t forget to RSVP! Who tops your Christmas gift list? If there are kids on your list, make your gift choices simpler and healthier by focusing on buying non-toxic toys. Which Christmas decor do you want to put up? Which foods do you want to prepare for Christmas eve?

Did you notice these questions are about what you want and not what you have to do? Granted there may be activities that you will have to attend and dishes that you will have to prepare. Before going into the mechanical motions of preparing these though, think about it. Maybe what’s getting you down is that they’re feeling more like a burden and not a delight.  Perhaps putting a little twist to these usual activities can make them easier for you to enjoy.

Care to look good to feel good? If you look slouchy, you can feel slouchy. If you look unkempt, you can feel unkempt. So again, ditch those pyjamas no matter how comfortable they are. What if you glam it up a little bit? What if you dressed up for the holidays? There is magic in a makeover. Go try the new trends this season: jewel tones, chunky knits, shimmer and sheen. See which look suits you best and you may just find yourself smiling a little bit more. A new hairstyle this holiday season may also do you some good too. Feel the negativity fall away with each clump of hair that’s snipped off!

When was the last time you got some sun? Get off that couch. Or bed. Or mattress. Or bean bag. Just get up and move. Exercise can do you a world of good, especially when you feel the sunshine on your skin. Once you feel the fresh air and the warm sun on you, BAM! You’ll feel a lot better. Exercising can beat the blues. Exercising outdoors when the sun is out can make you even happier. Just don’t forget that sun block! You don’t have to do cartwheels and tumble in the grass (though you can do that if you can!), but simply moving whether it’s on your feet or on a bike can boost your mood. It’s great that we have the sun year-round here in the Philippines. Go take advantage of that beautiful tropical morning sunshine!

What music are you listening to? If your iPod has been on emo loop, get a grip. That music is great, but if it’s just getting you more depressed you have to hit the “stop” button and create a whole different playlist. Listening to a particular kind of music causes the brain to release the feel-good chemical called dopamine. There are some songs that just gives us those feel-good chills. What songs are those for you? Who are your favourite bands? Whose music puts a spring to your step? Go get that dopamine going for that happy fix. So stop listening to those sad Christmas songs! Here’s one blogger’s take on songs guaranteed to make you happy. Give it a whirl if you’re feeling blue, then use the list as a springboard to create your own happiness playlist.

The holidays don’t have to bring you down. There is magic in this season, but you have to acknowledge it. You cause your own happiness. Step out of that blue slumber and conquer your happiness. The holiday blues can be overcome!

Toni Tiu went through the holiday blues during the first part of December. She got over it be embracing good news, shifting perspectives, and simply being thankful. For her stories on life and the everyday things that make her happy, visit her blog at Wifelysteps.com.

Photo: “Sad Lily” by mob mob, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Ginger Sad Man” by Doctor Popular, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Poor Mr Xmas Ornament” by Noemi, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.