Despite the bright lights and festive cheer that accompany the winter holidays, this time of year can bring about feelings of loneliness, isolation, grief, and sadness, both for people with clinical depression and even for some who aren’t depressed.
Depression around the holidays can happen for many reasons, says Akua Boateng, PhD, a Philadelphia-based psychotherapist who specializes in individual and couples therapy.
“The holidays bring an increase in thoughts about family, relationships, and social engagement,” Dr. Boateng says. “If there are issues within these dynamics in our lives, depression can surface.”
And this time of year may also raise expectations of spending more time with family than usual, which can be stressful for some, says Sarah Gundle, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in private practice and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Events with family may bring up old conflicts and emotions, which can be challenging to navigate, Boateng says.
The holidays can also be very difficult for people grieving the loss of loved ones, says Dr. Gundle.
These common holiday scenarios can be taxing for anyone, whether you have depression or not. But if you do have depression, they could worsen your symptoms.
For some people, the wintertime can also trigger a certain kind of depression known as seasonal affective disorder. This type of depression happens in a seasonal pattern, usually worsening in the darker fall and winter months and lifting by spring when the days are longer and brighter.
How to Manage Depression During the Holidays
No matter the cause of your low mood or negative feelings, an arsenal of healthy coping strategies can help you prepare for and get through the festive months ahead when you’re managing depression. “While practicing good self-care is always important, it is even more important during the holidays,” says Gundle.
That said, symptoms of depression like fatigue or lack of energy can make it difficult for some with the condition to adopt new coping strategies or self-care practices. If that feels overwhelming to you, consider starting with smaller steps. Small, consistent steps can make a big difference in the long run.
With that in mind, here are five expert-recommended strategies to consider.
1. Stay Active and Get Outdoors
Moving your body is one of the best science-backed ways to cope with depression during any season, and the holidays are no exception. A meta-analysis of 218 studies showed that exercise — especially walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training — is an effective way to manage depression and could also be useful when combined with psychotherapy or antidepressant medication. More intense exercise was linked to greater depression relief.
Getting outside and exercising can help you avoid isolation and loneliness during the holiday season, Boateng says. Gundle agrees, and also suggests spending time in nature as another way to reduce your risk of depressive symptoms. One study showed that time spent in green space reduces the risk of depression and anxiety in the long term.
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2. Share How You’re Feeling With Trusted Loved Ones
Boateng recommends surrounding yourself with people you can rely on during the holidays — whether it be family or friends — to help manage holiday depression. Ashley Bernardi, the author of Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel, says she reached out to trusted friends and shared how she was feeling during her darkest days with depression.
While she wasn’t sure how her friends would react, they gave her hope that healing was possible, helping her feel like she had something to live for.
If you confide in your loved ones about how you’re feeling, they may offer empathy, share their own experiences with you to help you feel less alone, or even suggest additional options for support that you may not know about.
“Never underestimate the power and love of your own community,” says Bernardi. “People want to help. All you need to do is ask for it.”
3. Assess Your Relationships and Set Boundaries
Monitor your emotions around different people in your life and set boundaries accordingly, says Boateng. This could mean limiting the time you spend during the holidays with people who cause you to feel negative emotions or exacerbate your depressive symptoms, as well as establishing boundaries for your interactions with and availability to those people, she says.
“It’s very important to be mindful of your own boundaries — and when something feels overwhelming, try to pay attention and act on it,” says Gundle.
If you struggle with setting boundaries, a mental health professional can help you learn some useful strategies, says Boateng.
4. Consider Volunteering Throughout the Holiday Season
Gundle suggests volunteering as a possible way to cope with depression during the holidays. One review article showed that volunteering for 2 to 3 hours a week or even just 1 to 10 hours a month offers myriad mental health benefits, such as:
Meaning and purpose
Developing empathy toward others
Feeling like you matter
Contributing to society
Social connectedness
Being part of something larger than yourself
Finding a volunteering opportunity that’s right for you will depend on several factors, including what activities you feel comfortable with, how much time you’re able to commit, and which causes you’re passionate about.
Bernardi has found healing in honoring her late father as a volunteer for Wreaths Across America, an organization that coordinates opportunities for volunteers to place holiday wreaths on U.S. veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and other military cemeteries around the country. “It’s a great way to connect with something other than yourself, which I find helps greatly when those feelings of depression creep up,” Bernardi says.
If you’re wondering how to get started with volunteering, organizations like VolunteerMatch can help you find the right fit in your area.
5. Create a Coping Sheet or Depression Toolkit
A coping sheet is a list of favorite activities you can turn to when you’re feeling depressed. You can create one on your own, with your family members, or with your therapist. Bernardi says she made a coping sheet filled with actions she can take to help her manage depressive symptoms.
“I decorated it with beautiful colors and taped it to my refrigerator, so I had a constant reminder that there is always something to do to lift my mood,” Bernardi says. In her case, those favorite mood-boosting activities include lighting candles, watching ballet, listening to classical music, painting pictures, singing, and meditating.
Other self-care activities you could add to your toolkit include:
Journaling
Acupuncture
Listening to music
Spirituality
Calm breathing
Positive self-talk
Is It Depression or the Holiday Blues?
Not all negative feelings during the holidays are signs of depression. In fact, temporary or situational anxiety or depression during the winter holidays (known as “the holiday blues”) is quite common. If you have the holiday blues, you might temporarily feel fatigued, tense, angry, lonely, or sad during the winter holidays.
But clinical depression, which affects an estimated 29 percent of U.S. adults at some point in their lives, sticks around longer term. Its symptoms last more than two weeks and affect your ability to function as you normally would. Symptoms include the following (but not all symptoms are required for a diagnosis of depression):
The holidays can bring about stress and difficult emotions for anyone, especially for some with depression. If the holidays worsen your depressive symptoms, it’s important to find healthy ways to cope. Good exercise, time in nature, volunteer efforts, and setting boundaries are all strategies that can help. If the thought of trying a new strategy feels overwhelming or you’re not sure where to start, it can help to begin with small steps toward each one. Small, consistent steps will make a big difference over time.
Seth Gillihan, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, who helps people find personal growth by making important changes in their thoughts and habits. His work includes books, podcasts, and one-on-one sessions. He is the the host of the Think Act Be podcast and author of multiple books on mindfulness and CBT, including Retrain Your Brain, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple, and Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
He completed a doctorate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania where he continued as a full-time faculty member from 2008 to 2012. He has been in private practice since 2012.
Michelle Pugle is a Canadian freelance health writer who is certified in mental health first aid, with training in suicide prevention and several counseling methodologies. Her work highlights the latest knowledge from peer-reviewed research, subject matter experts, and lived experiences to create credible, accessible, and inclusive content that has a meaningful impact on readers. Pugle writes comprehensive yet concise articles for award-winning websites, such as Healthline, Verywell, Psych Central, and Health.com.
Her health recovery narratives can be found at the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, The Mighty, and in Ana, Mia & Me: An Eating Disorder Recovery Memoir. She writes about mood disorders, eating disorders, addictions and recovery, and nutrition news and trends. Pugle's educational background is interdisciplinary with a strong focus on research methodologies, social determinants of health, and mental health. She is also trained in Holistic Herbal Therapy, Reiki training, and safeTALK suicide prevention.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Noetel M et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. February 14, 2024.
Liu Z et al. Green space exposure on depression and anxiety outcomes: A meta-analysis. Environmental Research. August 15, 2023.
Ballard PJ et al. Incorporating Volunteering Into Treatment for Depression Among Adolescents: Developmental and Clinical Considerations. Frontiers in Psychology. May 5, 2021.
Kvam S et al. Exercise as a Treatment for Depression: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. September 15, 2016.
Engemann K et al. Residential Green Space in Childhood Is Associated With Lower Risk of Psychiatric Disorders From Adolescence Into Adulthood. PNAS. March 12, 2019.
Ballard PJ et al. Incorporating Volunteering Into Treatment for Depression Among Adolescents: Developmental and Clinical Considerations. Frontiers in Psychology. May 5, 2021.
