Holiday Blues

Holiday Blues
Helpful tips and tasty remedies

For a lot of people, the holidays are a time of fun and excitement. For others, however, the Jingle bells are a prelude to the Holiday Blues. Frenetic shopping, family reunions and fights over “who’s house is it going to be this year”, unrealistic expectations, tense family relations, missing friends and family, and sad memories associated with the holidays are some of the factors related to the holiday blues.

Stress symptoms include: sadness and mood swings, headaches, excessive drinking, overeating, problems sleeping. These symptoms can at time continue even after the holidays have passed. Here are some helpful tips:
• Most families are not the Brady bunch. Be realistic about your expectations from family members. Fights and jealousies happen in all families and they will happen during the holidays too. Other families may not be happier or more loving than yours.
• Expensive gifts do not bring good time, people do. Keep in mind that the joy of giving does not have to become the nightmare of dept.
• Organize your time. Be realistic about what you can and what you can not do
• Do not drink too much. Alcohol is a depressant and excessive drinking will cause depression.
• A dry turkey is definitely not the end of the world. And talking about turkey:

Turkey along with pumpkin seeds, bananas, figs, dates, and tuna, are natural antidepressants. These foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is the precursor of seretonin and seretonin modulates moods and sleep patterns.

So, enjoy good food, good friends and have a

Happy and healthy holiday season