Nevermind...

[healingme4me]

.........

[butterfly24]

Sorry you deleted. I bet many on this forum struggle with holidays. I've begun to in the past few years. I'm dreading the move into November/December.

[Bill3]

Yes, the holidays invoke a great deal of emotions. Anxiety and Depression chief amongst them. So too does the season accentuate the loneliness that so many of the mentally ill already experience.

I'm guessing you are from the US. As an outsider, I have the idea that things are celebrated quite a bit bigger than we do in Canada. It seems to me I would get overwhelmed and despite all the gatherings of friends and family I would likely feel alone.

If feeling overwhelmed by it all is the case, what about taking control of the situation for yourself? What if instead of attending all the big gatherings you have small ones of your own; ones you can control? This may reduce anxiety too.

Am I right too in that you may be feeling overwhelmed and perhaps irritated by all the commercialization and fuss made over the season? I'm not sure there is a solution. As a veteran I myself get more than irritated, I get insulted that all the Christmas merchandise out before the Remembrance Day we celebrate here (Nov 11th).

I just don't buy into it all. I will admit I get assertive too with friends and family reminding them about Nov 11th in an effort to make them appreciate the day and at least not decorate until afterwards.

I stress the answer I believe is to make the holidays not about the demands of others nor their messages of how you ought to be celebrating but instead make them your own.