Seasonal stress

ms troubl

es minds

fq Stormy weather, Christmas crunch brings biues

am By Deana Lancaster

ame Contributing Writer

THE lights are going up, the parties

are in full swing but on dull, grey,

Me drizzly days on the North Shore it’s f sometimes hard to feel festive.

Some find it more difficult than others.

. “Holiday depression and stress are not B uncommon,” said Denise Bowker, executive director.of the North and West Vancouver branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). “People get disappoint- ed and unhappy during the holidays.”

The western world is just entering the dizzying, social season. It’s supposed to be bright, merry and infused with good will. It’s E also the season when depression can hit 2 pe

According to information provided by CMHA the holiday season can be “a time of self-evaluation, loneliness, reflection on past ‘failures,’ and anxiety about an uncertain future.”

Depression can also be wiggered by the mM overwhelming dem ods of the season: shop- I ping, parties, family obligations, and house guests. Sometimes, unrealistic expectations for the season lead to depression when they aren‘t fulfilled.

Advice from the CMHA on how to deal @ with the seasonal blues includes:

Mi keep expectations for the holidays manage- a able by not trying to make the holiday the

- best ever.” Organize your time. Set a budget

for Christmas spending and stick to it;

me © don’t be disappointed if your holidays are

not like they used to be. Each holiday season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way; @ do something for someone else. Try volun-

teering some time to h °

Benjoy holiday activiz:

driving around to foc

tions;

@ don't drink too much allonal.

drinking will only make sou r.ore depressed; Biry something new. Celebrate the holidays i in away you haven't done before:

@ spend time with people whe. care about you. Make new friends if vou are alone. Contact someone you have Jost touch v

Feeling down at this tiny) of year needn't always be attribured to the trunmings and trap- pings that go along with the -cason.

It could also be the weather.

“Seasonal affecti of depression,” said Bow ser. “Research shows it has to do with brightness. Scane people are more affected by light —- whea they don’t get enough the body gets out of balance.”

Researchers have linked it t2 melatonin, a sleep related hormone produced and released in the dark.

Bright light blocks the release of melatonin and relieves winter depression.

Now that the days ave darker and there are fewer hours of daylight. and especially during the rainfalls that shower the North Shore, SAD can take hold of some people and last through February.

Phototherapy, or light therapy, is an eftec- tive treatment for SAD in many people, as is counselling to help cope with the depression.

For more information, cali the Canadian Mental Health Association, North and West Vancouver branch at 987-6959.

If you need someone to talk to, about any- thing that’s got you down, you can call the 24- hour line at the Vancouver Crisis Centre: 872-

#l Munroe backs home businesses

Finaily, Munroe suggested

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield WES Plumtree of Morris the Tree Man removes a tree in the 600 block of West

Queens in North Vancouver. The tree toppled during iast weekend’s wind storm.

Collectors Royal Doulton Figurines

Hummels PINS an toby Vonsdile Aiet

: From page 4

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