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Holiday & Winter Blues

© Cynthia Webber (Jausten)

With the holiday season upon us, the holiday blues are something that not only those of us with fibromyalgia must deal with, but we have to accept the fact that others may be feeling the same way. The demands that society places upon us to be perfect hosts, have a perfectly clean and perfectly decorated house, and food that is set out and arranged perfectly on a table, is asking too much of anyone, whether they have fibromyalgia or not.

The winter blues are closely related to the holiday season, and sometimes it seems as if it is the holidays that create the feelings of sadness and depression. The weather during winter isn't always helpful for those of us with fibromyalgia, and our pain and fatigue levels may be higher due to the cold and wet days, or to the shifting weather patterns.

The Fibromyalgia Newsletter for winter is filled with hints for coping with the winter blues and holiday stress. The ABCs of Fibromyalgia are also listed, and a reminder to smile and enjoy humor and laughter is also in this newsletter.

The Pain of Being Human by Eugene Kennedy, a priest-psychologist, is a book that was published in 1972, but his words will never be outdated. "Some of man's darkest hours black out the skies he feels should be the brightest." The holiday season is suppose to be happy and joyful, but many of us wear ourselves out trying to live up to the expectations of others or our past expectations of ourselves.

Those of us with fibromyalgia have limited physical energy at the best of times, and wearing ourselves out by cooking, baking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping gifts, and trying to make the holiday season a pleasant one for everyone around us can send us into a flare or have the dark cloud of depression settle down upon our heads. Many of us anticipate a holiday season that is filled with love and joy, and we look forward to it with great anticipation. Even if the special day is perfect, we can still feel letdown after working so hard. If we've spent weeks preparing for one day, the sudden relaxation of the tension surrounding us can send us spiraling downwards into the black hole of depression.

The holiday blues may come before the main day of celebration, and it is even more difficult to cope with our feelings when others around us are happy and festive, and we are dealing with our own inner expectations that we should feel better than we do.

The copyright of the article Holiday & Winter Blues in Fibromyalgia is owned by Cynthia Webber (Jausten). Permission to republish Holiday & Winter Blues in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.