TYLER, Texas — The holidays can be a fun and joyous time for people, but this year with so many people still isolated from loved ones, experts are expecting even more people to feel depressed and lonely during this holiday season.
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Amber Quaranta-Leech is a licensed professional counselor at UT Health Science Center in Tyler. She says the on-going pandemic coupled with the lack of family interaction could be detrimental to our mental health.
"I think the cumulative effect of everything that's gone on this year and maybe the hope that things would be back to normal by this time, and then not being back to normal, may compound the effects of everything that's gone on through the year," Quaranta-Leech said.
Like many of us, she's also separated from some of her family members right now.
"I work away from my spouse and so I'm now living on my own during the week and then just get to go back on weekends," Quaranta-Leech said.
With social distancing still in place and many of us unable to see our friends and family, she says it's important to find ways to keep in contact with our loved ones.
"Whether it's through text or social media, say hey, just thinking about you, checking in on others and seeing how they're doing because there are a lot of people isolated and not getting to visit their family during these holidays," Quaranta-Leech said.
Between decorating, cooking and shopping, it's easy to get overwhelmed this time of the year, but Quaranta Leech says if you start feeling stressed or depressed, try to keep yourself from reaching for the sugar cookies.
"Keeping up and healthy diet is important, especially during this time of year because the sugar crashes and can make depression even worse," Quaranta-Leech said
She also says don't just stay on your couch and binge-watch your favorite show either. That will only make it worse.
"Being able to get out and get some exercise," Quaranta-Leech said. "Pull yourself away from the television which can just lead to increased depression by sitting in front of the TV."
Try to keep in mind that things are different for all of us this year, so don't feel any pressure to make things exactly the way they've been in the past, instead embrace some new traditions.
"People have this belief of it's the holidays, 'I shouldn't feel depressed, I should feel happy,'" Quaranta-Leech said. "So you put these expectations on us of how the holidays are supposed to be but we can take time to connect and spend with family any time of the year. So even if right now through the holidays, we're not able to get that family connected time and you're feeling down, being able to know that there's other times to connect with your family members. It doesn't just have to be around the holidays."
