Ask the Expert: How to overcome the ‘holiday blues’

Ask the Expert: How to overcome the 'holiday blues'

Written by: Jennifer Bahrman, PhD | licensed psychologist and assistant professor, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston | Updated: November 03, 2025

Welcome to "Ask the Expert," a new UTHealth Houston newsroom series where our leading physicians examine pressing health challenges. In this edition, we address how to manage the stress of the holiday season.

With the holiday season comes family gatherings, well-wishes, and reasons to celebrate. Streets sparkle festively with lights, homes are filled with joy and laughter, and media overflows with images of cheerful gatherings. But for many, the holiday months can also come with added stress and emotional strain - a phenomenon often called the "holiday blues." Here are some tips for coping with the stress of the winter months.

What are the holiday blues?

The holiday blues refers to the temporary feelings of sadness, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, overwhelming stress, and loneliness that often begin around Thanksgiving and persist through New Year's. While the holiday blues is not a formal diagnosis, it is an experience that can impact an individual's ability to enjoy the season - even those who generally love the holidays. Unlike clinical diagnoses which are more persistent and severe, the holiday blues usually fade once the season ends. Nonetheless, the blues can feel heavy and overwhelming while they occur.

There is not one single cause of the holiday blues. Rather, the holiday blues are caused by a culmination of the emotional, biological, and social pressures of the season. With the heightened demands, changes in routine, additional expenses, shorter days, and unrealistic expectations, the holiday season can be a challenging time. This can be further exacerbated by strained relationships, estrangement from loved ones, isolation, and acute awareness of loss.

Everyone experiences the holiday blues in different ways. While anyone can be affected, those with a prior mental health condition, those who have experienced loss or trauma, and those prone to poor coping during stressful experiences are more likely to struggle with mental health challenges during the holiday season.

Strategies to cope with holiday stress

While it may not be possible to control every stressor, some strategies that can aid in effectively coping through the holiday blues include:

1. Acknowledge feelings.It is okay to feel sad, anxious, or tired - even during a season of cheer. Ignoring or denying those feelings can make them worse. Acceptance is often the first step toward relief.
2. Maintaining healthy habits.Eating mindfully, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining good sleep patterns, partaking in regular exercise, setting aside time for yourself and for reflection, and sustaining routines can help buffer the stressful and demanding expectations of the season.
3. Connecting with others.As social isolation can be a major risk factor for depression, seeking out ways to enjoy social connections is important even if you're away from home for the holidays. Ways to do so include reaching out to friends, joining a local club, or checking in with loved ones near and far via video or phone calls.
4. Protect your time and energy.Avoid overcommitting and practice saying "no" to things and people that may cause you stress.
5. Take breaks.The holiday season can be physically and emotionally draining. It is essential to take time to recharge between the demands of events, errands, and responsibilities. Schedule downtime just as with any other stressful event.
6. Manage finances mindfully. The holidays can be a financial minefield, with the expectation to buy gifts, travel, and host gatherings. Practice mindful spending by setting a budget, being intentional with purchases, and avoiding comparison.
7. Volunteering.Particularly during the season of giving, acts of service to others can be a great way to give the gift of your time and compassion rather than just gifting material possessions. Volunteering connects you with others and brings a sense of purpose. Even small acts of kindness can ease loneliness and strengthen your connection to the community.
8. Limiting social media consumption.Social media tends to portray the best side of things and can lead to negative emotions when you compare yourself to the images you see. Limit time online and work to be more present offline.
9. Setting realistic expectations.No holiday is perfect. Focus on enjoying the moment, the experience, the time spent with loved ones, and what truly matters to you.
10. Practice gratitude.Gratitude involves recognizing and appreciating the positive things in your life and how they affect you. Gratitude can range from small gestures, like acknowledging pleasant weather that allows you to spend time outdoors, to significant ones, like appreciating the opportunity to spend the holidays with a loved one battling a serious illness. Doing so can contribute positively to an overall sense of well-being by helping you to put things into perspective, improve your mood, increase your optimism, strengthen your relationships and connections, and create positive emotions and feelings of pleasure and contentment.

How to practice gratitude

Gratitude can be practiced in many ways. This holiday season, consider:

• Paying attention, acknowledging, and appreciating the little things in life.
• Appreciating good things even among challenges
• Being kind and compassionate to yourself.
• Telling someone that you are grateful for them or something that they did.
• Doing something kind for someone in your life or for a stranger.
• Mediating or praying.

For most, the holiday blues can be managed with lifestyle changes and social support and resolve naturally as the demands of the season subside. This holiday season, try to offer yourself the same compassion and understanding you extend to others.

However, if the holiday blues do not lift after the holidays, if you are feeling especially down, or if the blues have begun interfering with your well-being and ability to function, contact your health care provider. If you are thinking about suicide, seek support. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7 and is free of charge - call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/to chat with a Lifeline counselor.

By: Jennifer Bahrman, PhD, licensed psychologist and assistant professor, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. All quotes should be attributed to her.

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