DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Holiday Blues Vs. Season Depression

Deep Dive

December often arrives with an odd mix of sparkle and heaviness. The world can feel louder with the lights, music, and gatherings, but it's paired with the days growing darker and shorter. For many people, this contrast stirs what we call the holiday blues: feelings of sadness, irritability, loneliness, nostalgia, or emotional exhaustion that come around the holidays. These feelings are usually tied to stress, grief, pressure to fake a sense of joy, financial strain, changes in routine, or simply the weight of memories. Holiday blues are common and often temporary, shifting once the season passes or expectations ease.

But sometimes the emotional heaviness isn’t just about the holidays. As daylight fades and winter settles in, some people begin to experience a deeper, more persistent kind of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). While the holiday blues are stress-related, SAD is biologically influenced: reduced sunlight disrupts our circadian rhythm, impacts serotonin and melatonin, and can lead to significant changes in mood, sleep, appetite, and motivation. People with SAD often describe feeling like they’re body and brain are moving at half-speed," no matter how much they rest, or "as if your mind is wrapped in a heavy winter blanket you can’t quite lift."

So how do you tell the difference? Holiday blues tend to come and go with identifiable stressors like too many commitments, tricky family dynamics, loneliness around celebrations, or grief that resurfaces in December. SAD, in contrast, lasts at least two weeks or more, persists after the holidays are over, and often repeats yearly. Symptoms may include profound fatigue, low mood most days, hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, oversleeping, or craving carbohydrates. When these patterns linger into January or February, it’s often more than just holiday stress.

Understanding this distinction isn’t about diagnosing yourself...it’s about being able to notice what is happening with yourself and to understand that others also experience what you are going through. You don’t have to force cheerfulness or pretend the season feels light when it doesn’t. Instead, you can acknowledge the emotional and biological realities of winter while tending to yourself with compassion. This month, think of yourself not as someone who needs to “push through,” but as someone navigating a season that affects the mind, body, and spirit, and that you can care for yourself with warmth and gentleness.

Need some help coping with either the holiday blues or seasonal depression? Contact one of our counselors today by calling 317-207-1830, emailing info@bluerivercounseling.org, or by filling out our contact form here.

60-Second Reset

Step outside or stand near a window and let your eyes take in natural light for one full minute; breathe slowly, notice the temperature, the sky, or the shadows, and let your nervous system register, “I’m here. I’m safe. I can slow down.”

Local Lifeline

If you’re looking for a gentle way to get more daylight, movement, and connection in winter, Walk with a Doc – Shelbyville is a great option. This free community walking group meets every Tuesday at 4:30 PM at the Shelby County YMCA (2120 Intelliplex Dr, Shelbyville, IN 46176). Participants gather in the lobby and, depending on the weather, walk indoors at the Y or head outdoors together. Each walk is led by a local healthcare provider and includes a short, easy-to-understand health talk before everyone sets off at their own pace. It’s a low-pressure way to boost mood, get your body moving, and spend time around other people during a season that can feel especially isolating. Register or find out more information here.

Therapy & Pop Culture

Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out gives us one of the most therapeutic truths of all: joy isn’t the only emotion that creates connection. In the film, Riley begins to heal not when Joy takes control, but when Sadness is allowed to be present, honest, and felt. That moment mirrors what many people experience during December — the pressure to “be merry,” even when our internal world is complicated, tired, or heavy.

As a therapist, I often point out that Sadness wasn’t the problem in Inside Out; the problem was pretending she didn’t belong. The same is true for us. Allowing sadness, loneliness, nostalgia, or even disappointment to have a seat at the table doesn’t ruin the season — it makes it more human. Emotions work together, not in competition, and honoring the full spectrum of our experience helps us move through winter with more compassion and less shame.

Riley in Inside Out

Emotions trying to find balance

You Ask...

“When I go out with family or friends, I feel so guilty for being a ‘Debbie Downer.’ How do I explain what’s going on with me without bringing everyone else down?”

You don’t owe anyone a performance of happiness. But you can give people a little context so they don’t misinterpret your quietness. Try something simple like, “I’m really glad to be here. I’m just feeling a little low energy lately, so if I seem quieter, that’s why.” It’s honest, it sets expectations, and it keeps you from feeling like you have to fake a mood you’re not in. Most people respond with more understanding than we fear. And you get to show up as your real self, not a pressured version of you.

Want to submit a question? Submit your question for a therapist here.