For a number of reasons, mental health can take a beating in the last days of the year. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mental Health Struggles

Lack of sunlight, post-Christmas letdown hindering mental health

Dec 29, 2022 | 1:00 PM

If the time between Christmas and the New Year has you feeling a little blue, you’re not alone. Whether from loneliness or stress, a lot of people find their mental health takes a hit during the last act of the year.

“We do notice a change because we close for that week over Christmas,” said Doug Kinar, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Prince Albert branch. “Everybody leading up to that, their anxiety goes up a bit. When we reopen in January, their anxiety goes back down. They’re not as isolated.”

Even if you spent your Christmas and the days leading up to it surrounded by friends and family, you might still have sources of stress that aren’t present at other times of the year.

“The holiday season, for many people, is a stressful time because they’re trying to please others,” said Kinar. “They’re not specifically doing things just for themselves for self-care. All the care that’s going out and love that’s going out is going outwards from everybody and nobody is really receiving it because they’re so busy giving it.”

There are other people, Kinar added, who don’t receive any of that care at all because they don’t have anyone in their life. Oftentimes, that absence of another person is felt most keenly around the holidays.

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“It’s compounded by Seasonal Affective Disorder,” Kinar said. “Not everybody is living with a diagnosis of that, but everyone is impacted by the lack of sunlight, the lack of production of vitamin D, and all that goes into that. That’s the happy vitamin. So when we have winter season, especially around Christmastime and the shortest day of the year, it becomes very apparent.”

Across different cultures and throughout history, there have been many celebrations at this time of year precisely because people need something to celebrate when the daylight hours are at their shortest. In the aftermath of those celebrations, some people might also suffer from something of a post-Christmas letdown.

“All the family that they were seeing is gone and that time of year has passed,” said Kinar. “So it’s a letdown if you didn’t celebrate Christmas the way you’d hoped. Most people have a vision of what Christmas should be and that’s a picture-perfect vision.”

Kinar added sometimes, as hard as it can be when you’re surrounded by people looking to celebrate, it’s important to take some time for yourself. Being alone and having some quiet time can be a good form of self-care.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP