Thank God winter solstice has come and gone. Days in the northern hemisphere are now getting longer. Even though winter has officially begun, the change in light is far more important than the change in seasons.
The truth is, the darkest time of year physically is, for millions of people, the darkest time of year emotionally as well. No matter how much happy music is piped into malls as crazy shoppers hustle and bustle their way to credit card overload, many people simply feel depressed and depleted in the weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year.
Rather than add to the bloated content cosmos of advice for giving yourself a lift during the holiday season (spiked egg nog is way overrated anyway), I’m suggesting a simple solution.
When the urge to open the emotional flood gates pops up, let’er rip.
Better Than Sex?
A good cry can sometimes be better than good sex (bonus points if you can combine the two). Studies have found that crying releases all kinds of chemicals that soothe and heal. Holding back the tears can actually cause a lot of damage to cells and other vital parts of the body.
But the short days and cold temperatures coupled with the ups and downs the holiday season ignites can play with emotions. And sometimes, honestly, nothing but a good, long cry will do.
Turns out, crying at Christmas may be more common than hearing Bing Crosby tell us what he’s dreaming about as we hand over our credit card to the Macy’s clerk one more time. Sadness doesn’t make the headlines, though, because Christmas is supposed to be full of joy, cheer, and glad tidings. And it is — just not as much as popular culture would lead us to believe.
The Exit Off the Emotional Superhighway
If we’re being honest, we can fully admit that
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- the pressure from the holiday marketing machine that starts churning before Labor Day
- the crazy drivers
- the weather
- the family dysfunction
- and the heaps of fat, sugar, and alcohol that manages to get stuffed into our pie holes at every gathering we attend
[/su_list] will eventually cause a major emotional pile up on the highway of our lives.
Sometimes crying is the only exit off.
So go ahead. Put down the egg nog, push aside the packages, close the bedroom door, and howl. Crying at Christmas is perfectly okay. Not only will you feel better afterward, but it will — surprisingly — make the joy of the season seem that much more alive.
