BLUE CHRISTMAS

Well, it is officially Christmas Day. For some of you that may be an exciting thing. For others, not so much. It is for the "not so much" people I write todays blog. While I can't possibly guess every reason or circumstance why today is a bad time for some, I can assume some of the obvious reasons. Death of a loved one, sickness, finances, maybe divorce, or no family to share the holidays with. I personally don't look forward to Christmas as much as I used to, I think it might be age and also the fact that many loved ones have passed on. I have my two children and that is what keeps me going, I get excited for them. I still enjoy shopping for them and wrapping their gifts. However, if it wasn't for them I can very easily understand how someone can be sad and depressed during this time. During a writing session such as this I always seem to come back to my grandmother, my fathers mother. She lived to be in her 90's and she experienced many losses in her lifetime. For years she never looked forward to the holidays. She used to say, "I had my time. I've had the house full of people, I've done the big dinners, now almost all my family is gone and nothing is the same." She used to put on a smile for the rest of us, but it hurt because I knew how truly sad she was on the inside. I know many of you are going through the same thing. Try to remember the holidays leave us as quickly as they come every year, and you will feel better again. If you take medication for depression now is definitely not the time to miss a dose. Sometimes these feelings of the holiday blues last until after the New Year, so the best thing you can do for yourself is try to keep occupied and stay close to your support system. If you don't have a support system there are plenty of free online support pages that have administrators that can help you talk it out. One of them is a Facebook page called, "Making Mental Health Positive." Another I know is called, "7 cups of tea." If you are feeling especially upset and having any thoughts of harming yourself in any kind of way, you can also call, "The Suicide Prevention Lifeline," at 1-800-273-8255, or visit their website for live chat, www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Stay strong and remember there is help out there.