Psychologist explains how to improve the holiday blues
According to the song, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But for many, it’s the time of year filled with added pressures, demands, and unrealistic expectations that leave them feeling decidedly less than wonderful. To better understand how the holiday season can trigger the blues — and how to avoid them — the Gazette spoke with Natalie Dattilo, director of psychology in the psychiatry department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who specializes in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Q&A Natalie Dattilo GAZETTE: This is supposed to be a happy, joyous time of year, so why do so many end up feeling down around the holidays? DATTILO: With my patients I talk about stress being something we experience when the real and/or perceived demands of a situation outweigh our real or perceived resources. That’s one way to frame any sort of problem for which we are experiencing an overwhelming amount of stress or pressure...