Festive Blues
Reading time: 2 minutes
By Narayani Signh
The festive season is going on and it’s all about friends, family, lights, celebration and parties! Although
this time is all about the festivities but maybe you’re having a hard time relating to the vibrant
environment around you. Instead of feeling the joy and excitement you’re rather feeling overwhelmed
and gloomy. What you might be experiencing is festive blues. Festive blues are temporary feelings of
anxiety, sadness or stress that are often experienced during festival season and major celebrations.
Turns out, it is pretty common for a lot of people to feel this way around this time.
It doesn’t always mean that you do not enjoy the festival season. Even if you had been feeling happy
and looking forward to the festivals and celebrations, it is understandable to feel the blues when the
actual celebration is approaching. Festivals and celebrations are often times of high emotions,
socializing, planning and organizing which can leave a lot of people stressed, exhausted and drained.
Also, the over commercialization of festivals can make us have unrealistic expectations of experiencing
positive emotions only throughout the holidays, making us feel more pressured when that expectation
of feeling cheerful and jolly are not met.
Holidays are also a time of temporary changes in daily routine, adjustment and dealing with family
issues for people who are living away from their families for work or studies. Adjusting to all these
changes can also be a factor that adds to the stressors and blues. It is also when we are more likely to
recall old memories, old connections, traditions and feel nostalgic. For a lot of us it is a time when we
are returning to our hometowns and are bound to get hit by a wave of nostalgia of childhood memories
and people from the past.
Moreover, not everyone has favorable conditions surrounding them this time which is why the
festivities are not so enjoyable for them. Not everyone has an ideal healthy family dynamic and meeting
with family can be stressful. The conflicts and issues can overpower the joyful environment of the
celebrations. Also, there are expectations of having fun with family but in reality, it can turn out to be
underwhelming because as we grow up, people leave and we start living different lives, the dynamics
within a family also change. Also, not everyone has a huge group of friends to celebrate Diwali parties
with and this can trigger feelings of loneliness. Maybe someone is grieving the death of a close one or
the death of a connection/relationship in their life. Someone might be feeling burdened by the financial
stress of the festivities. And adding to that while people are already dealing with their personal
problems, festival time can be overwhelming for some people because it is the time of joy, celebration,
happiness. You are “supposed’ to feel a certain way which adds to the pressure when you are not feeling
that certain way and not resonating with how you are ‘supposed to feel’.
People with prior mental health issues are more prone to feeling these blues. This time can also clash
with the onset of a depressive episode for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The holidays need not be perfect and a time of high spirit for you and that is absolutely okay. You can
create your own new traditions and routines or focus on new connections and find happiness in your
own ways. They might not feel like the festivals of your past or childhood or how the media tells you but
you can find new ways and create your own traditions to make the time as meaningful and happy in your own custom-made way. And if that also feels too much, it is okay to take a rest from the high emotions and demands and give yourself a break!
