연말 연시 외로움 극복하는 요령 6 Ways to Cope with Holiday Loneliness

6 Ways to Cope with Holiday Loneliness

Christmas carols on the radio, department store Santas, holiday window displays, ads for the latest gift ideas — these are among the many festive signs of the holiday season. 

Verywell Mind

연말 연시 외로움 극복하는 요령 “고독감으로 인한 고통, 심각한 우울증과 비슷"   요즘 같은 연말에는 대부분의 사람이 함께 어울리는 분위기를 즐긴다. 반면에 일부는 위안과 즐거움을 느끼지 못한 채 외로움만 강하게 느낀다. 심리 전문가들은 “고독감으로 인한 고통은 심각한 우울증과 비슷하다”며 “외로움은 우울증의 전형적인 증상인 슬픔, 자기혐오, 의욕 상실 등을 포함한다”고 말한다. 하지만 이런 외로움은 일시적이고 환경적인 요소가 강하므로 잘만 극복하면 즉시 치유된다. ‘유뷰티닷컴’이 연말연시에 겪기 쉬운 고독감에서 벗어날 수 있는 좋은 방법 5가지를 소개했다. 1. 술을 줄여라 술은 흥분제가 아니라 마음을 가라앉게 하는 진정제이다. 술을 자주 마시다 보면 자칫하면 외로움으로 인한 슬픈 감정을 극대화할 수 있다. 2. 연말연시 축하는 다른 방식으로 하라 만약 집에 있거나 가족 모임에 참석하는 것이 불편하다면 여행을 떠나라. 선물을 주고받거나 모임 준비 작업이 스트레스를 주고 우울하게 만든다면, 그런 일을 줄이도록 해라. 3. 어려운 사람을 도와라 자원봉사는 자신의 가치와 유용성을 높이는 것이므로 외로움을 풀어주는 강력한 해독제라고 할 수 있다. 4. 스스로를 챙겨라 좋아하는 일과 활동을 함으로써 스트레스를 줄여라. 휴식을 충분히 취하고, 맛있고 몸에 좋은 음식을 먹고, 박물관이나 영화관에도 가라. 마사지를 받고 거품 목욕도 해보라. 무엇이든 편안하고 위안이 되는 일을 하면 좋다. 5. 연락망을 복원하라 그동안 소식을 끊었던 사람들에게 다시 연락하라. 자신이 먼저 모임을 만들어 이런 사람들을 초대해 보라. 권순일 기자 kstt77@kormedi.com 코메디닷컴

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While many of us welcome the pageantry, others feel a powerful loneliness that undercuts any possible feelings of comfort and joy.According to a 2006 survey conducted by the research firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for the American Psychological Association, one in four Americans report experiencing loneliness during the holiday season. Perhaps you’re among them. If so, you might dread the feeling and wonder what you can do to avoid it.Reasons for Holiday LonelinessWhy, during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s do some of us fee especially lonely? After all, these are times of social gatherings, shared rituals and reminiscences. And if a person is lonely at other times, why do holidays seem to make the feeling even worse?MORE: Holiday Season is Breakup Season“Loneliness is or seems more intense during the holidays because of all the media coverage that describes holidays as a time for gatherings, friends and family,” explain Elaine Rodino, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in State College, Pennsylvania. That this Norman Rockwell–like characterization of the holidays can seem unreal to people whose families don’t fit the traditional-nuclear-family mold due to circumstances within or beyond their control, she continued. Deaths, divorce, misunderstandings, financial problems, geographical separation—these and other factors can affect a person’s sense of isolation during the holidays.Holidays also have a way of bringing up the past, causing us to compare current holidays to previous ones. According to Susan Anderson, LCSW, a psychotherapist and author of The Journey from Abandonment to Healing and Taming Your Outer Child, “The sights, smells and sounds of holidays hearken back to childhood when you were nestled in your family and create a painful contrast to your current aloneness.”Of course, that’s if your past holidays were happy ones. But what if your memories of those times are sad or even traumatic? 

In that case, you might still feel lonely if your emotional wounds haven’t been addressed and healed.Loneliness and Depression Is feeling lonely on holidays the same as being depressed? “The pain of loneliness mimics severe depression,” explained Anderson. “Loneliness can include the sadness, self-loathing and lack of motivation that typify severe depression. But loneliness is temporary and circumstantial in that it can instantly lift when companionship becomes available.”  In other words, just because you are feeling sad temporarily doesn’t mean you are suffering from depression.Rodino agreed: “When a person feels lonely, it is based on the actuality of being alone or feeling different than those around [him or her]. This, for example, may be a person alone in a new city for a new job. There is a reality to the loneliness. If the person is feeling down and lonely, yet they have easy access to family and friends, this sounds more like depression.”Crucial to coping with holiday loneliness is being aware of any unrealistic expectations you may have about what to do and how to feel. “Sometimes a moderate amount of good times may be seen as ‘not enough’ compared to the expectations,” said Rodino. Anderson offered a similar view: “The media hype and your own conception of holidays raise your expectation for joy and togetherness, setting you up for heightened sorrow about being alone. You ‘should’ on yourself for not having the life you ‘expected’ to have.”Both Rodino and Anderson point out that holiday loneliness can trigger feelings of abandonment, unworthiness and self-doubt, and raises the question “What’s wrong with me?”Taking Charge of Your FeelingsRather than dread the isolation and loneliness you feel during the holidays, there are things you can do to minimize those feelings and experience greater emotional balance and personal fulfillment. Anderson and Rodino offered these suggestions:

Dr CBT Mom

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1.Recognize your loneliness instead of denying it. Your feelings are real and worth exploring. If you feel you can’t share with family or friends what you’re going through, consider talking with a therapist.

2.Anticipate your loneliness and plan for it. Reconnect with people with whom you’ve lost touch. Create your own social event and invite people to it.

3.Celebrate the holidays in a different way. If being at home or attending a family event is a source of discomfort, take a trip. If giving gifts or making holiday preparations stress or depress you, pare down those tasks or share them with others.

4.Take care of yourself. Do what you can to reduce your stress and connect with things and activities that you enjoy. Get plenty of rest, eat delicious and healthy foods, go to a museum or movie, get a massage, take a bubble bath—do whatever feels safe and brings you comfort.

5.Limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant, and as such it can magnify your feelings of sadness.

6.Reach out and help someone else. Volunteering is a powerful antidote to loneliness because it boosts one’s feelings of self-worth and usefulness. Embracing the holiday spirit by giving of your time and efforts to those less fortunate might increase your connection to others and give you greater perspective and inner peace.

As the pageantry of this festive season unfolds, no matter what you decide to do, know that you can control the script of your celebrations — and that holiday loneliness need not play a role at all.

https://www.youbeauty.com/life/coping-with-holiday-loneliness/

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