Tis the Season to be Meloncoly, but does it have to be?

It is no surprise to me that there are three times the amount of S.O.S. emails and phone calls coming in to my mail boxes this month. It has always been the Christmas season that brings out the worst in many people, and by that I mean, depression, anxiety, loneliness, dread and hopelessness. How can such a beautifully "dressed" season create so much negativity? Well, maybe we should start from the beginning…the beginning of the end, that is.
Just three months ago, we had more sun in our lives, more light, more time outdoors and most likely, more exercise. As the summer ends and the sun’s rays diminish, they take with it melatonin, serotonin, vitamin D and other hormones we use to stay emotionally and physically stable. When we feel the loss of the sun, we tire more easily and start to compensate by eating more carbohydrate rich foods, which makes us seem temporarily better, but actually puts us on an unmanned elevator ride. This elevator drops us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, again and again, making a new cycle within that requires more and more of the same bio-chemistry to keep us going. For a couple of weeks, we may not see a huge difference in our personality, mental thoughts or body weight, but as the months go by, clothes feel tight, hormones shift, fluids become imbalanced and, well you know the rest of the story. It is no wonder that by the time we hear our first Christmas Carol, we are looking for a reason to complain about this season.
At this point, the scrooge in many of us starts to dread the coming weeks. We may convince ourselves it is world issues, our lack of this or that, money, job, marriage, children, and physical appearance or maybe life in general that is just too tough to deal with. We can’t wait for the holiday to be over, so we go into survival mode and allow the time to pass as quickly as possible in hopes that St. Nick’s arrival will also bring an end to our inner suffering. “January 1st is my new chance…a new attitude. I will start my new life in the New Year! I will eat better. I will work out every day. I will quit smoking. I will…I will…I will.”
The truth is that at the very first sign of our decline, we need to make that resolution—a resolution that dictates a New Day that can allow us to change our attitude at any given moment instead of waiting till the end of something. We need to make a promise that we will not allow our bodies’ temporary state of being to dictate the direction of our lives, but instead to take even more steps to stay stable, so we do not “fall” victim to the sudden drops in attitude. It is our decision, always, how we move up and down. We can always decide to feel good, to change our mental, physical and emotional state. This New Year can begin this new minute, and every minute of every new day, which begs a question to be asked—why wait any longer to start yours?