Politics Inflation climate change. Shootings. Fires. Disasters. We’re living in a 24/7 news cycle that can seem like a never-ending loop of distressing events and overwhelming problems. It’s important to stay informed, of course. But with so much to worry about, it’s hard not to get consumed.
Now add shorter days, colder weather and the December holidays, which for many can be a stressful and even isolating time of year. Combined, it’s the perfect storm for winter blues. The good news is there are proactive methods of buffering yourself from feeling down. We spoke with two experts about the best ways to keep our spirits up and prevent negativity from getting us down.
The first step starts with acute self-awareness of your media intake. “There’s a difference between watching a news story or reading an article and just incessant scrolling,” says Dr. Samantha Saltz, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Dr. Sam LLC in Boca Raton. “We have this fear of missing out so we allow ourselves to be captivated and then inundated by the news.”
If it feels like you’re reading much more bad news than good, you’re probably right — but it’s not because good news isn’t out there. It’s that bad news performs better, which in turn, incentivizes news outlets to run more of it. It’s a media tendency known as “negativity bias.” News often skews negative, Dylan Matthews from Vox explained in a 2023 piece, because people pay more attention to stories defined as “bad.” Facebook algorithms, for example, found that users engaged five times as much with posts that made them angry than with posts they found pleasurable. It’s a widely studied topic backed up by research, Vox claimed, and it’s responsible for creating an unhealthy social media habit called “Doomscrolling.”
Doomscrolling is particularly harmful if we’re already somewhat unsettled or anxious.
“Our minds look for information that matches how we’re feeling, which is called mood congruence,” says Dr. Sarah Dihmes of Group Therapy LA/NY. “So if we’re a little down, it’s easy to get sucked into content that validates our feelings of concern or danger.”
In addition to showing us excessive amounts of bad news, social media contributes to negative feelings when we compare ourselves to the glossy, edited, highly curated posts of others. Staving off social media-inspired feelings of jealousy and insecurity means reminding yourself that what you’re seeing is rarely the full picture. For the most part, people post the high points of their lives, not the lows. And influencer culture has only intensified the pressure to present joyful, enviable lifestyles — even if they’re exaggerated or false.
Don’t fall for it, says Saltz. If you find yourself feeling triggered by social media, log off. She compares it to eating junk food. While small amounts are indulgent, too much makes us sick. “If we know that looking at those pictures all day long isn’t going to make us feel good, why would we do that to ourselves?”
Something as simple as taking a walk outside on a nice day can help. According to Time magazine, sunlight causes our bodies to produce more serotonin, the brain chemical that regulates our moods, resulting in increased calm and happiness. Unfortunately, colder weather and darker days can yield the reverse effect. Prolonged feelings of hopelessness and exhaustion during winter months have a clinical name: seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that affects an estimated five percent of the population, according to the American Psychiatric Association. In areas of the country with hotter temperatures year-round, like Florida, SAD is less common — which is why many who experience SAD move to warmer climates or snowbird — but that doesn’t guarantee immunity. Treatments for SAD, says Saltz, include bright light therapy, in which a specialized lamp or light box is used to mimic sunlight. Sitting in front of a light therapy device for up to 30 minutes a day in the morning eases symptoms of SAD, research by the National Institutes of Health has shown.
Cold weather isn’t the only potentially discouraging factor winter months may bring. Instead of being thankful and merry, many dread the November and December holidays due to loneliness or strained family relationships. In a 2022 poll from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 31% of adults said their stress increased on the holiday. Depending on your situation, however, there are a number of coping strategies you can put in place ahead of time.
Holiday gatherings can be nerve-racking if they’re a source of tension. Do the work beforehand to understand your boundaries so you can firmly set them, advises Dihmes. “Ask yourself what you feel comfortable with and what you can tolerate. If you’re going to be in a difficult or conflictual situation, try not to show up alone so you’re not as vulnerable. You also don’t have to commit to the entire time period that people are asking. Do as much as you feel confident with.”
When it comes to challenging family relationships, manage expectations. “If there’s a history or pattern of behavior within your family dynamics, don’t expect something drastically different,” advises Saltz. But if there are bridges you want to mend, do your part. “If you want to engage more, it’s your job to make the overture and make it happen,” she says.
As noted, monitoring your social media exposure is important, but when it comes to loneliness or isolation, technology can go a long way in making us feel more connected. “In the same way it helped during the height of the pandemic, Zooms or virtual get-togethers can be helpful,” Saltz explains. “There are support groups, in person or online. And in this case, social media is a tool where you can find comfort reading about other people feeling similarly to yourself.”
Another way to escape solitude or a spiral of self-pity is to get out of the house and volunteer. “As humans, we need a sense of purpose and social interaction to help us deal with the negative parts of life,” notes Saltz. “Volunteering not only fulfills that, it offers a different perspective by making us realize how lucky we are and how grateful we should be for what we do have.” It also reduces feelings of helplessness. “Focus on a way to produce positive change instead of sitting in bed and sulking.”
Doing good directly correlates to an improved outlook. A 2020 report in the Journal of Happiness found that people who volunteer report higher overall feelings of satisfaction and well-being.
Most importantly, when it comes to negative emotions around the holiday season, be gentle with yourself, urges Saltz. “We have to give ourselves grace in the sense that this is a period of time that tends to be challenging and it’s okay to be a little down. At the same time, we work through it by engaging in behaviors that will get us out of that headspace.”
Finally, if you’re experiencing extended feelings of sadness that aren’t letting up, consider speaking to a professional. “The threshold we use in psychology is, ‘Is it impacting your daily functioning?’ If it becomes a pattern or you’re not living your life as fully as possible, you should work on it,” says Dihmes. “We’re so willing to get help for other medical issues or get a financial advisor. Mental health is the number one indicator of happiness, but people are much less willing to get an advisor on it. Why not try it?”
The New Year is a time of reflection and a terrific opportunity to commit to practices that will help us maintain optimism, hope and positivity.
“Focus on the present: self-care, positive self-talk and not overcommitting,” says Dihmes. To quote celebrated cartoonist Bil Keane, Dihmes reminds us, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift…which is why we call it the present.”