Tips to overcome loneliness and deal with holiday blues

January is considered to be the month of memories and blessings as its the time when most plan to unwind and reflect on the year that passed by and alongside social media “throwbacks”, we are in a surge of New Year celebrations, work breaks and Lohri, Makar Sankranti festive holidays and making new promises to ourselves. However, the festivities bring many of us face of face with the feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Holiday blues are often triggered by unfortunate life incidences, living in single households, declining relationships or health concerns and this is mostly because people find it difficult to navigate through their thoughts and emotions during trying times. However, one of the most challenging causes of loneliness is one’s inability to priorities their mental health or deal with intrapersonal struggles.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Ishan Shivanand, Mental Health Researcher and Founder of Yoga of Immortals, explained, “An enormous section of individuals have a tendency to close themselves to darkness. In order to evade from guilt, anger, fears, insecurities, traumatic experiences etc, they inadvertently engage in increased screen time, emotional eating or building numbing mechanisms. This leads to perpetual disturbances in physical, psychosocial and mental wellbeing – especially during holiday season. As a solution, one needs to constantly work on the relationship with oneself.”

She advised, “At the day end, we all are seeking peace within. As far as you’re willing to recognize your potential and work on your mental health, there is scope for you to restructure your life and improve quality of life and there is no better time to start than holidays.” To overcome loneliness and deal with holiday blues, she suggested –

● Practice Yoga-based meditative modalities: In your routine, include morning and evening practices of scientific non-pharmaceutical meditative modalities that are integrated with native medicine. With a group of doctors and scientists, we conducted research studies with participants reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia – and explored their responses to protocols of such modalities. We were stunned to observe a reduction of 72-82% in the symptoms, along with improvement in quality of life, within 4-8 weeks of regular practice of Yoga.

● Work on your belief systems: In the hustle of life, we often tend to build mental blocks and behavioral patterns that don’t serve our wellbeing. Journaling is an exceptional tool to reinforce positive thoughts and sentiments – that lead to building of healthy belief systems. Involving genuine intention and emotion while writing something can influence the neuropathways to help manifest our goals.

● Express and communicate: Humans are expressive beings. We need supportive environments wherein we’re able to communicate freely and engage in non-judgmental awareness. Whether it is taking up new hobbies, exploring instinctive passions or building connections, be open to express. When thoughts, words and actions are in alignment, we are likely to experience profound happiness.