How To Beat The Holiday Blues
The Trident Mindset Offers Tips On Tackling Holiday-Season Sadness
The holiday season can feel particularly lonely. The quiet solitude that’s often a source of peace during a hunt or a fishing trip can amplify feelings of isolation when others are celebrating with family. The lack of outdoor activities, combined with shorter days and colder weather, can lead to feelings of restlessness and sadness known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is linked to reduced sunlight.
On my first Christmas while deployed when I couldn’t go home, I was surrounded by plenty of people and a solid team, but I felt the underpinnings of loneliness and guilt. As the only son in a tight-knit family, demands from my siblings who didn’t fully understand my responsibilities, along with my own obligation to uphold our traditions, weighed heavily. But duty came first, and as much as I knew I was doing the right thing, the emotional weight of missing my family Christmas left me feeling depressed and uneasy.
Balancing the responsibility of my military service with my family bond was one of the first times I truly felt the strain between personal and professional obligations. It taught me that mental resilience isn’t just about surviving physically, it’s about managing the emotional toll of difficult decisions.
Apply These Principles
When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the holiday blues, break the holiday season down into micro goals. Instead of focusing on getting through the month, aim to do one thing each day that brings you peace. Plan a simple hike, set a goal to explore a new fishing spot, or just commit to a daily walk.
Next, use breathwork to reset the parasympathetic nervous system. One of the most powerful tools I learned as a SEAL is box breathing. This technique can instantly calm your nerves and reduce feelings of anxiety. When you practice box breathing—inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four—you help reset your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms your body’s stress responses.
Embrace discomfort. The holidays often bring up feelings of sadness or loss. Instead of avoiding these emotions, face them head-on. Much like enduring a difficult hike, leaning into emotional discomfort builds resilience.
Visualization is another powerful tool. Whether it’s imagining a successful hunt or seeing yourself navigating holiday challenges with grace, visualization helps your brain practice success. Before stressful situations, take a moment to mentally rehearse how you’ll handle them.
Have and show gratitude. Research has shown that expressing gratitude can have a profound effect on mental health, reducing depression and improving well-being. Take a moment each day to reflect on something you’re grateful for, no matter how small it seems.
Ways To Find Joy In Solitude
Nature can be a powerful remedy for holiday stress. Plan specific outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, or camping. Solitude in nature offers time for reflection and renewal.
When you’re out in nature, practice mindfulness. Focus on the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Being fully present in the moment—whether it’s watching the wind move through the trees or listening to water flowing—can help you detach from holiday stress and find joy in the simplicity of the outdoors.
One of the best ways to combat feelings of isolation is by helping others. Doing so not only strengthens community bonds but gives you a sense of purpose and connection.
Building A Supportive Community
While solitude can be refreshing, maintaining regular connections with others is important, especially during the holidays. Reach out to one friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Not only will it lift your spirits, but it just might be what they need to feel better, too.
I recently lost a fellow teammate—someone I served with, a friend a mentor. He was found in his home, decomposed and alone. I knew I should have checked in on him, but I was “too busy.” Maybe I could have helped him with a simple phone call. That weighs pretty heavily on me. Sometimes, the strongest thing we can do is reach out, whether for help or to offer it.
When we share our stories, struggles, and solutions, we build stronger, more resilient communities. “We’re stronger together,” I often say, and that’s especially true during the holidays.
Solitude in nature, combined with efforts to help others and stay connected, can turn the holiday blues into a time of renewal and reflection. Together, we can face these challenges and emerge stronger and ready for whatever comes our way.
Do you have a tip for beating the holiday blues? Let us know in the comments!