Depression, Anxiety, and Apathy during the 2020 Holidays
Every year mental health professionals and advocates seek to remind others that it's okay to not feel okay during the holiday season despite the outside pressure to feel jolly. This year, more than any other does that reminder bear repeating.
The year 2020 has brought us a worldwide pandemic, physical isolation, a contentious election, and an overall sense of uncertainty. So, this holiday season, as we balance COVID-19 safety, and political landmines with family, it's essential we talk about the anxiety, depression, and apathy we may be feeling this year as well.
It turns out there is a name for what happens when our sense of security, meaning, and even safety is threatened all at once- existential dread. As we carry the experiences of 2020 into the next two months, some of us may feel what's called an existential crisis.
What is Existentialism?
In recent years jokes and memes about nihilism and existential dread have become trendy online. However, it is a genuine mental health experience. And this year, it's important to understand what these words mean and how we can seek support for them.
Existentialism is the idea that humans have free agency and determination to create purpose and meaningful impact on an otherwise chaotic universe. Essentially it encompasses the human experience of feeling, thinking, humans with individual motivations. For many, this is closely tied to religious and spiritual meaning as well.
An existential crisis or dread occurs when we begin to question our control and purpose in life, leading to depression, despair, apathy, or anxiety. Existential threats are ones that threaten the integrity of our identity, environment, or physical wellbeing.
Partially inspired by Erik Erikson's stages of development (and accompanying crises), types of crisis can include:
Crisis of freedom vs. restriction
Crisis of mortality and death
Crisis of meaningfulness vs. meaninglessness
Crisis of isolation or connectedness
This usually occurs as people face a significant loss, life changes, or the prospect of their own mortality and aging.
Let's take a moment to truly understand what we have all faced in the last nine months.
A worldwide pandemic
National shutdowns
Massive loss of human life
Long term isolation and change in social contact
Now we face the prospect of holidays in a new world. We have deeply ingrained senses of tradition, symbolism, and expectations for what it means to celebrate the coming months. All of which have changed drastically. That is a major loss and call for adaption.
This year thousands of us have lost loved ones, jobs, physical contact with others, and new experiences. Equally stressful has been the interpersonal boundaries we have all been faced with during a historically divided political and social atmosphere.
All of this is to say- you have valid reasons to feel burned out and less than jolly.
The important thing is that you understand why this year may be a little (or a lot) harder to care for yourself.
Fortunately, there are steps to boosting your resilience and feeling like your mental health is manageable this season.
Stay tuned for these steps in our upcoming blog “Depression, Anxiety, and Apathy during the 2020 Holidays Part II” coming November 16th.