Thoughtful Thursday

At this time of year most people are busy rushing around buying presents, organizing parties and dinners and generally loving the excitement in the air. But there also many many people who find this one of the saddest and most depressing times of the year. The reasons for this are many but here are a few of the main ones.

• Finances. Not enough money or the fear of not having enough to buy gifts leads to sadness and guilt. The stress of financial hardship during this economic downturn is often compounded by shame. When you can’t afford to celebrate, it can feel devastating.
• Stress. For example, there is the stress of shopping and planning family dinners when you’re already overworked and tired.
• Loneliness. A whopping 43 percent of Americans are single, and 27 percent of Americans live alone. When others are with their families, it can be very painful for those who are alone. Seventeen percent of singles are over 65, when health, age, and mobility can make it more difficult to enjoy yourself.
• Grief. Missing a deceased loved one. Seniors have more reasons to grieve.
• Estrangement. When you’re not speaking to a relative, family get-togethers can usher in feelings of sadness, guilt, resentment, or inner conflict about whether to communicate.
• Divorce. If you’re newly divorced, the holidays may remind you of happier times and accentuate your grief. It’s especially difficult for adult children of divorce who have to balance seeing two sets of parents. The stress is multiplied for married children who have three or even four sets of parents to visit.
• Pleasing. Trying to please all of your relatives – deciding what to get, whom to see, and what to do – can make you feel guilty, which leads to depression.
• SAD. Many people experience the blues during gloomy weather due to decreased sunlight, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

So what can we do to help - we doggies are often one of the most comforting things for those who are lonely. The magic of a simple doggie cuddle is beyond compare. Helping  to serve Christmas dinners to those less fortunate can be a great help or delivering toys to children in care. Putting together a box of goodies for your local humane society can bring smiles and happy tail wags.

But the most important thing we can all do - it to take a few minutes out of our day and think about the people we know who are lonely or sad -  a simple card, email or phone call can make all the difference to them and cost nothing more than a few moments of your time.