‘Tis the season for happiness, joy and cheer, right? Not necessarily. For many people, the holidays can also bring on feelings of sadness and loneliness. You may feel stressed out by the demands of shopping, parties and even family gatherings. Although these feelings are normal, there are many things you can do to stay positive and enjoy the holiday season this year:

• Don’t take on too much responsibility or say yes to too many things. This can make your holidays more stressful.
• Only do holiday activities that are most meaningful to you. Pass on those you feel obligated to do.
• Get enough sleep, about seven to nine hours per night.
• Try to eat right and exercise even when your schedule is busy.
• Don’t stay cooped up inside. Sunlight can relieve depressive symptoms associated with winter’s shorter days.

Medicine can help with depression. It can rebalance the chemicals in your brain to make you feel like yourself again. There are several different prescription medication options, and only you and your physician can decide which one is right for you.