Holiday depression comes many times a year, but often it seems to hit us the hardest around Christmas time. In the western world, Christmas is very important for us culturally, yet some people do not have a family to spend time with during this important time. 

It’s important to remember that people who are gay still face oppression from family members that can lead to being disowned. The effects of this hit hard throughout the year, and they can affect our community in ways that you may not expect. The LGBT community should stick tighter during this time of year to help those who most need it. 

Not everyone in our community will be suffering from depression due to domestic issues. Instead, it could be caused by 2020 and 2021 being brought because of COVID. Some places still have restrictions in Europe, while others are reintroducing restrictions due to the new omicron virus. So, what can we do to deal with this depression?

Well, the first thing is to recognize that you are experiencing holiday depression. The name for becoming sad at this time of year is the “holiday blues.” You can easily recognize if someone has the holiday blues because rather than experiencing joy, they could express feelings of sadness, anger, or anxiety. Even people who love the holidays can exhibit these symptoms and recognizing them is the first step to tackling them. Now that we understand the holiday blues, how can we deal with them? 

Well, that will depend on your situation. If you are experiencing the holiday blues because your family has disowned you, recognize people in the world still love and care for you. You can even reach out to some organizations, and they will respond by sending you cards. Not only Christmas cards, either. As a community, we have many allies who understand that holidays, birthdays, and other important moments can affect us mentally during Christmas. So, if you are feeling down or that nobody cares for you during this time of the year, you can reach out to The Rainbow Cards Project. 

If this is not your specific case and you are still feeling down, you can surround yourself with friends and family. When you do this, you increase your chances of remaining happy. If you cannot overcome your feelings – it could be due to seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. SAD is also known as winter depression, and it can cause the same symptoms as the holiday blues. However, these feelings are not isolated strictly to November and December during the most important American holidays. 

If you feel that depression is ruling your life and you might be on the road to feeling so much despair you could try to hurt yourself, always reach out for help. Remember that you are loved, cared for and make a difference in the lives of everyone around you daily. Nobody deserves to feel alone, and if you feel empty at this time, you can always reach out to someone who will let you know the difference you make in the world. 

If you are in the United States of America, you can reach out to depression hotlines to help you. One of the most well established and known depression hotlines in America is Samaritans. You can reach out to them for help using the following numbers.

Samaritans: 877-870-4673 (HOPE) 

You can also reach out to them via online chat, and they are equipped with a team of volunteer counsellors to help you overcome these feelings. You can reach out to them on Lifeline Chat.  

Not everyone who can experience these down feelings during the holidays is in America, so we decided to include some links to help you if you’re located in Canada. Our community is affected greatly by holidays worldwide, and we all deserve to know the positive impact we make on those around us. So, if your holiday blues are overwhelming and seem like too much to handle, you can contact the Toronto Distress Centres.

Toronto Distress Centres: 416-408-HELP (4357)

Our final words at Homoculture are from the heart. We know that people in our community deal with hardships differently and that not everyone’s experiences will be the same. We want you to know that it is important whatever your situation is. No matter where you are in this world, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. You can use our comments section to reach out to us if you’re feeling down this season, and we hope to bring some joy to you this year!