How to Cope with Loneliness During the Holidays

Beating the "Holiday Blues"

The December holiday season is traditionally a time when people get together with family and loved ones. But for people whose family live far away, or for those who are not in romantic relationships, the holidays can increase feelings of loneliness or isolation. Seeing other people with their spouses, children, parents, and siblings can make lonely and isolated people feel more out of place. If you often suffer from the holiday and Christmas blues, here are some positive ways to gain more confidence and happiness.

Eat healthy and stay active. Resist the temptation to binge on rich holiday foods and alcohol. Keeping your body healthy helps improve your mood and outlook during times of loneliness. It can also help mitigate the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In the northern hemisphere, SAD is primarily caused by lack of sunlight, and lack of sunlight causes many people to feel depressed.

Finish old projects that you have been putting off. The dark, cold winter nights are the perfect time to reclaim all the time spent procrastinating in the summer. Repaint your bathroom, update your websites, or finish reading a book you started long ago. You can get you mind off the loneliness by immersing yourself in productive work.

Use the holiday break to help those who are much less fortunate than you. If being alone gives you the holiday blues, you should realize there are others who are homeless, hungry, broke, or facing much worse calamities. By donating your time and money to help people in need, you can lift their spirits as well as your own.

If you have enough vacation days and money, use the holiday break to take a trip to an exotic destination. Take the opportunity to enjoy holiday festivals in other countries and experience new sights and sounds. When you are thousands of miles away on a tropical island, your busybody relatives can't nag you about being single or not having a better job.