Grief around the Holidays: How to Minimize the Holiday Blues

Fact: People are emotive beings. Around the winter holidays – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Day – emotions are heightened. For many, it is a time of joy, happiness, peace on earth, good will, celebrating with family and friends and hope for the future. But for others, particularly older adults, the holiday season can be a difficult time – a time of sadness and loneliness, a time of self-evaluation and reflecting on past accomplishments and failures and a time of anxiety about the future year.

The holiday blues can happen to anyone, in any income or age category, though it is more prevalent in older adults. Why? Most likely, older adults have experienced great loss - loss of independence, loss of physical or cognitive abilities or loss of a long-time spouse, friends or family members. Loss is a significant part of getting older – not a fun part – but a real aspect that affects every day, and especially holidays when we are thinking of missed loved ones and easier days that have passed.

The goal here is not to talk about why the holiday blues occur, however, but to recommend ways to minimize and cope with the holiday blues. The following are some suggestions:

• Watch favorite old holiday season classics: A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street or It’s a Wonderful Life, to name a few. These classics may bring back good memories and remind you of the true reasons for the season.

• Do something in memory of passed loved ones, create a remembrance or start a new ritual. Suggestions include lighting a special candle or donating to a homeless or animal shelter or adopting a needy family.

• Reach out and reconnect with old friends or make new ones, as this can help you deal with the loneliness experienced during this season. Don't wait to be invited - invite someone over. Control your own fate by taking action. You are never too old for that!

• Incorporate a Mental Health RN (MHRN) to provide extra support and reassurance. In addition to providing holistic care for the whole family, an MHRN acts as a third-party listener and observer and can become a valuable resource when there is a change in one’s mental or emotional status. MHRNs are registered nurses who monitor physical progress as well as emotional and mental health, so this is ideal if you need homecare or emotional care during the holiday period. In many cases, older individuals (and their families) feel more comfortable facing emotional issues with someone who is concerned for their health as a whole – without the stigma of seeing a therapist or psychiatrist.

Around the holidays and throughout the year, there are ways to minimize depression and sadness. Feelings of grief, loss or sadness should be acknowledged – not ignored or repressed by those who have experienced a death, tragedy or significant loss.

To learn more about how Celtic Healthcare’s mental health nursing services or any other home health care or private pay services may be a good fit for you and your family, contact Celtic Healthcare by visiting www.celtichealthcare.com or calling 1-800-355-8894.