Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to This is Life Cast. I'm Caitlin Whyte, and with me is Dr. Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, an internal medicine physician from Infirmary Health. Join us as we chat about the holiday blues. Doctor, I'm so excited to get into this topic today. I think it's really fascinating. We think of this time as one of joy and celebration, but it really does bring a lot of grief and some darker feelings. So what do we mean when we talk about the holiday blues?

Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, MD: So the term holiday blues actually refers to these transient, which means, you know, brief feelings, such as, but not limited to sadness, stress, anxiety, fatigue, low mood, irritability, or loneliness that some people can experience throughout major holidays, the winter months usually occur around late November to early January.

Host: And why do some people get the blues more so around this holiday season?

Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, MD: So the blues can be kind of categorized into three sections. One is a biological thing. Sometimes when we have an interruption with our circadian rhythm, the reduced daylight with the winter months, that could alter our melatonin that helps us with our sleep and our rest. It can also change our serotonin as well, and that can be decreased due to stress, inflammation, dysregulations of our hormones, and then just sleep deprivation in general.

Also, the other category could be psychological due to heightened expectations and pressures. It could be work related, family related, making sure that all the kids have every item they requested from Santa, social related, such as expectations to attend all the holiday parties at work or church or in the community, decorating for the holidays, et cetera.

 Additionally, grief can be amplified during these special times. You have years and years of holiday traditions that are disrupted by maybe a recent divorce or a permanent loss of loved ones, kids going off to college. Additionally, there's a perceived loss of control or like a role strain. And then lastly, what can, you know, kind of precipitate these as like social, you could have family conflict, knowing there's a family member who's like hosting a party you feel obligated to attend to, but you don't get along very well with.

Or social isolation. Not having any family locally to spend time with or being unable to afford to see them while other's around you are constantly talking about the holiday plans. You also have financial strains that come with the cost of gifts, travel, party. Gotta buy an ugly sweater for the ugly sweater party or a secret Santa, or your best friend asked you to host a winter theme party so they can surprise their significant other by proposing.

And then you have occupational stress surrounding the year in transitions such as needing to compete a contract by end of work year, or other colleagues being absent due to vacation and just being spread thin because of the workload.

Host: I'm stressed out just listening to you list off all of the events and things that can happen during this time of year. Now how common is it for people to feel down during this holiday season?  

Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, MD: Honestly, it's pretty common. But the thing is to remember is that the symptoms are time limited, and they are common and they are reversible. They're not pervasive, meaning that they won't like, you know, spread unwelcome influence and they're not progressive. So it's very common.

Host: And tell us how important is self-care, like sleep and exercise in lifting our moods this time of year.

Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, MD: Oh, absolutely. So one of the things you can do is just lifestyle regulation, because taking care of yourself is one of the first-line management for the holiday blues. Stick to the routines. So if you have a sleep hygiene, make sure you have consistent bedtime. Wake times. Nutritions try to avoid, I know it's really hard, excessive sugar, alcohol, smoking, illegal substances. And then when able, try to maintain a balanced diet filled with like vegetables, fruits, and proteins. Hydrate daily, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Also with the physical activity, even the low intensity movement can improve the mood, try to maintain an exercise schedule, practice self-care and mindfulness, and then also have just some financial intelligence when it comes to like the lifestyle regulations.

Set a realistic budget, focus on meaningful gifts or experiences over spending, enjoy free holiday activities or try to celebrate the holiday in a different way. Other things that can help just by education and reassurance. Normalize symptoms, it's common and reversible. And then just know that there will be emotional variability during the holidays.

Make sure you get lots of sunlight if you can in the morning time. That's great. Or at least some sunlight if possible throughout the day. And then just more of like a psychosocial strategies. Just have realistic expectations and boundary settings. Make sure you connect meaningfully by reaching out to supportive friends and families.

Promote brief social contact over obligatory gatherings. Try to volunteer, avoid events that will like crowd your time and set realistic expectations to avoid over extending yourself. Try to avoid situations or individuals that may add to stress. Say no and find time for yourself each day by setting boundaries.

Host: Some really great tips there, doctor. And if someone feels like they may need a bit more support or help during this season, where can they find you to schedule an appointment?

Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin, MD: So I am one of the newer providers at the Diagnostic and Medical Clinic, Northside. It is located in Sierra Lane, Alabama. The address is 95 Shell Road, Sierra Lane, Alabama 36571. And to reach us, we have a phone number 251-675-4733 and you can ask for Dr. Kennedy-Franklin and I have a lot of availability. I am taking new patients and I'm trying to continue to help the ones that I do have.

Host: Well, thank you so much for this really important information. It's a great reminder that even though we're supposed to be joyful and happy this time of year, it's not necessarily the case for everyone. That was Dr. Verlisa Kennedy-Franklin. For more information, you can visit infirmaryhealth.org. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it on your social channels and explore our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Caitlin Whyte and This is Life Cast. Thank you for listening.