January, the month of resolutions, hope, and new beginnings. But did you know that January 1st is the deadliest day of the year, with surveys in UK and USA seeing a spike in the number of people who commit suicide on the first day of a New Year?
The last week of December, and the first few days of the New Year can seem like punishment for distressed people, their own melancholy amplified by the celebratory air that the rest of the world seems to put on. People go on their annual vacations around this time, spending Christmas and New Year’s with their family and friends. Those who are not taking that trip back home can be seen knee deep in parties. If you are someone who has neither friends nor family to turn to for comfort, these days can seem truly cold and unforgiving.
Those who are left out without the comfort of the proverbial support system can feel like they are the only ones not invited to a party, where everyone they loved and missed has gathered. Are you someone who struggles with mental health, and has no one to turn during the “happy holidays”? For people who are completely estranged from close family, holidays can seem like a private circle of hell. This feeling is exacerbated by scrolling through social media posts of other people’s family gatherings and celebrations. You may feel like you’re shut out, the only person in the universe who’s not laughing, eating, drinking, and otherwise living your best life with the people who are supposed to love you the most. If you are alone in these days ahead, here are a few steps you can take to prevent feeling unloved and hopeless.
You do not have to answer any probing questions
If you are afraid of being asked questions about why you are spending Christmas and the New Year alone, then you can refuse to answer. Or you can give a generic answer like ‘My schedule did not work out’. You do not have to unpack your trauma every time a person asks why you aren’t celebrating a festival with family.
Do not force yourself to attend gatherings that may trigger you
If seeing a specific family member or acquaintance brings up painful memories, or may lead to a confrontation, you can skip the event for your own sake. Just because you have been invited to a gathering does not mean that you have to go simply to keep up appearances.
Occupy yourself with other things
Plan a small vacation. Being away during the last few days of the year, in a beautiful new location, is one of the best cures for New Year blues. Recharge yourself, sit out the drama, and come back in 2020 as a well-rested person.
Take a break from social media
This is very important. If you keep looking at the images of curated joy and family bonding that everybody shares during the Christmas-New Year festivities, you will plunge yourself into a spiral of self-pity.
Image Credit: YouTube stills from Dear Zindagi (Red Chillies Entertainment)
