Here are a few suggestions for getting through the holiday season if you struggle with holiday depression:

1) Non-holiday gathering. If you have friends or acquaintances who struggle with the holidays, consider having a gathering of your own preference. Maybe even invite people you don’t know who are also in the same boat. Whether or not these are close friends, you already will have common ground in helping to support each other through the holidays.

2) Break the holiday idealization. It’s just another day. While the media and social media won’t let us believe that’s the case, the holidays are only as grand as we allow them to be. Some people don’t regard the holidays as a special day at all, and just live them as an ordinary day, filling the day with whatever brings them fulfillment.

3) Time off from social media. Even when it’s not the holidays, social media have a way of making people feel bad about their lives. The holidays on social media are sort of like regular days on steroids — all of the seemingly exorbitant levels of happiness dressed in a holiday theme. (Maybe it would help if people also posted the frustrations and not just the good things that make it seem like life is always wonderful). Around the holidays (approximately a week before and a few days after), keep with reality by taking a break from Facebook, Twitter, and any other happiness media.

4) Take a break from TV. If you’re going to be alone around the holidays and must watch some TV, I suggest watching things that make you forget it’s the holiday season. Reruns of tv shows (not the holiday episodes), movies that aren’t holiday themed, sports, or otherwise. Be careful with TV — the commercials will still remind you of the time of year. (And maybe stay away from all Steve Martin movies. As funny as they can be, even his non-holiday movies have a way of portraying life with the ideal happy family living in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Come to think of it, maybe just eliminate all comedies with snow…). So, if you can,  I recommend another form of entertainment — books, puzzles, word puzzles, cooking, baking, gym, crafts, building, etc.

5) Focus on your hobbies. If you find yourself alone, or choose to be alone, around the holidays, make it a time of year to focus on your hobbies. These can be any of the activities above, or anything else that interests you — traveling, hiking, bike riding, movies, golfing, gaming, etc. Also, try meetup.com as a possibility for activity groups around the holidays that can bring you around other people who enjoy the same hobbies as you.

There are other possibilities for getting through the holidays. The main idea is to know that you don’t have to be alone, and to know that you are not alone in your desire to move straight from November 15th to Jaunary 3rd.

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