Revelations Quest Psychology

It is that time of the year where people are in a joyful mood and looking to celebrate the festive season. This time of the year means “no work” for most, while it is “life as usual” for some because they still need to be at work. Be that as it may, it can also be a very difficult time for some individuals, and for a number of reasons.

In this blog post, we look at Celebration Blues. Some might know it as “Festive Blues”, “Holiday Blues”, or “Festive Depression”.

Celebration Blues:

Temporary feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression, and/or other negative/unpleasant emotions before, during and/or after a festivity/special occasion. For example, holidays, birthdays, achievements, etc.

At RQ Psych, we prefer the term “Celebration Blues” because it highlights that the change in affect/emotional state can happen at any time of the year, not just during the festive season, and it is all normal.

From how we define it, you can tell that celebration blues are centred around two things:

1. Happy/Joyful events
2. Typically being celebrated by, and/or celebrating with, loved ones.

Thus, these moments can be unpleasant for some if the latter is not possible, for whatever reason. The feeling most people can resonate with during this time is loneliness, which can affect your mood. As we know, social relationships are important for us as human beings because of how significantly it can affect our perception of ourselves.

After achieving something significant, or even celebrating one’s birthday, we often have expectations that our loved ones would celebrate with us, and make us feel special. Sometimes, we might even have unrealistic expectations because we hope that the special occasion will miraculously make people more intentional and considerate of us. For some, yes, it happens. That is not the case for everyone. For some, loved ones not making a fuss over our achievements, our birthdays, etc. highlights how we might feel insignificant in our loved ones’ lives. That can make us question our value in people’s lives, which could make us question how we are perceived by others and ourselves. If the perception is negative, that definitely impacts our emotional wellbeing, leading up to, during and/or after the special event, especially if we anticipate disappointment.

Festivities are all about sharing the joyous moments with our loved ones. We might even have a preference with regards to who we would like present to celebrate with us. So, when we realise that we might not be able to celebrate with a loved one, such as a partner, child, parent, sibling, friend, or grandparent, etc. it can affect our emotions significantly, especially if loss is the reason one cannot celebrate with the loved one. Loss might mean death or even a strain/break in relationship. One might even question why they should even celebrate.

The oversensationalism of the special occasion might also contribute to the unpleasant feelings because we think we are supposed to do some things to celebrate, or feel a certain way, during this time, and then feel horrible/guilty when we do not. Not very realistic.

Some of the Celebration Blues symptoms include (before/during/after special occasion):

• Tiredness
• Lack of energy or motivation
• Tension
• Frustration
• Loneliness or isolation
• Sadness
• A sense of loss
• Changes in weight
• Appetite loss or gain
• Difficulty concentrating 

All of these are normal because of the psychological process underway. What is needed during this time is acknowledgment of the process, and self-compassion. You are a human being with feelings and needs, and during this time, your respective needs might not be met, and that can be sad. Therapy might also help you understand the process thoroughly so that you can learn to deal with it in a healthy manner.

Here are some ways to help you cope during this time:

• Setting realistic expectations for you, and your loved ones during this time. Also consider the type of relationship you have with these people
• Exercising regularly to help stick to routine and boost mood
• Trying to stay connected to special/significant people in your life, and possibly telling them how you’d like to be supported during this time
• Letting go of things you cannot control, such as circumstances or how people can or choose to show up for you at that time
• Practicing self-compassion by not judging yourself for feeling the way that you do, by allowing yourself to feel what you feel and responding accordingly