This time of year can start to look festive on the outside but feel heavy underneath. Between seasonal changes, family stress, and the pressure to stay “happy,” depression often deepens quietly. Today’s issue is your reminder that awareness, not perfection, is what steadies you through difficult seasons.
Today’s Quick Overview:
🔬 Science Spotlight: Oversleeping may worsen cognition, especially with depression…
🗣 Therapist Corner: How inflammation and holiday pressures fuel depression…
📰 Mental Health News: Climate anxiety; new workplace mental health trends…
🫂Community Voices: Growth rooted in self-kindness lasts longer…
Let's notice what old patterns are ready to go and what new ways are emerging:
What old way of ending weeks are you ready to leave behind, collapsing from depletion, or carrying guilt about unfinished tasks? And what new Friday ritual is calling, maybe transitioning with gratitude, or giving yourself actual permission to rest without conditions?
QUICK POLL
Work affects our mental health in many ways. Which challenge feels most pressing or overlooked to you?
Which workplace mental health issue deserves more attention?
MENTAL HEALTH GIFT
Therapy Self-Care Bingo Worksheet
Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated; it can even be fun. The free Therapy Self-Care Bingo worksheet gives you 25 simple actions to support your body, mind, and emotions. With a playful illustrated design, you’ll enjoy checking off each square as you go. Print it, play it, and discover how small steps can make a big difference. Download your free copy today.
THERAPIST CORNER
It has been known for decades that depression is correlated with inflammation responses (Beurel et al., 2021). Stress can cause inflammation, and inflammation can cause depressive episodes. Fall and winter tend to cause changes in the immune system, particularly pro-inflammation, which can increase depressive symptoms (Modzelweski et al., 2025).
Lack of sunlight is another seasonal reason for increased depressive symptoms (Wang et al., 2023). Ultraviolet B, a type of radiation found in sunlight, is the key source the body uses to make vitamin D. Vitamin D is responsible for regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, all of which tend to be low in depression.
Holiday Dynamics
There are multiple holiday dynamics that may be present that can increase the risk of depressive symptoms (Cleveland Clinic, 2023):
The myth of holiday happiness: The three most common words used by college students to describe their feelings about Christmas were loneliness, anxiety, and helplessness (Sansone & Sansone, 2011). They believed that everyone else was happy and had loving families.
Stressful schedules: All of the extra things that need to be done during the holidays can cause burnout.
Pressure: High expectations to plan the perfect holiday get-together and buy the perfect presents, as well as to come up with the money to buy everyone gifts, can cause stress and depression.
Being separated from loved ones: Due to not being able to travel to be with loved ones or dealing with the grief of someone who has passed, loneliness can be especially prevalent during the holidays.
Having difficult family dynamics: Stressful anticipation of spending time with a difficult family can increase depressive symptoms.
What Can You Do to Decrease Depression During the Holidays?
Although you may not be able to completely eliminate depression during the holidays, there are things you can do to diminish it (Cleveland Clinic, 2023; University of Rochester Medical Center, n.d.):
Stick to your normal routine as much as possible: You can't feel normal if you don't act normal.
Limit social media use: Social media use is correlated with higher levels of depression.
Make sure to set aside time for yourself every day: Self-care is vital for mood regulation.
Set a realistic budget and stick to it: Overspending is a large cause of stress during the holidays.
Connect to those you can't be with: Call or FaceTime with those you won't be able to see.
Limit alcohol use: Alcohol is a depressant.
Acknowledge a lost loved one: Ignoring a loved one who passed is often more hurtful than engaging in a moment of remembrance.
Set boundaries: Plan to leave early if things get emotionally difficult or just say no to a get-together if it's going to affect you negatively.
Caring for Loved Ones
Research shows that hospitalizations, suicide attempts and completions, self-harm behavior, and going to therapy for the first time all decrease in the week before and the week of Christmas (Sansone & Sansone, 2011).
However, the week after Christmas, all of these tend to increase dramatically. No one wants to be hospitalized or commit suicide right before or during the holiday, but the increased depression during the holiday is often expressed immediately after the holiday.
If you have a loved one that you are concerned about, don't assume that "normal" behavior during the holiday is an indication that they are doing well. If you are concerned, talk to them. Please remember, asking someone if they feel like hurting themselves is not going to encourage them to do so if they weren't thinking about it before you brought it up.
Amy Guertin, PhD, LCPC, has been in the field of psychology for 31 years as both a therapist and a psychology professor. She works with adolescents and adults, specializing in depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Psychology has been her passion, and she feels fortunate that she has been able to do what she loves and help people in the process for over three decades. Reach her through her profile below:
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association.
Beurel, E., Toups, M., & Nemeroff, C.B. (2021). The bidirectional relationship of depression and inflammation: Double trouble. Neuron, 107(2), 234-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.002
Cleveland Clinic. (2023). How to handle holiday depression when it hits home. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/holiday-depression-and-stress
Modzelewski, S., Naumowicz, M., Suprunowicz M., Oracz, A.J., & Waszkiewicz, N. (2025). The impact of seasonality on mental health disorders: A narrative review and extension of immunoseasonality theory. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(4), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14041119
Sansone, R.A. & Sansone, L.A. (2011). The Christmas effect on psychopathology. Innovative Clinical Neuroscience, 8(12), 10-13. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3257984/pdf/icns_8_12_10.pdf
University of Rochester Medical Center. (n.d.). Help for the holiday blues. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=1&contentid=2094
Wang, J., Wei, Z., Yao, N., Li, C., & Sun, L. (2023). Association between sunlight exposure and mental health: Evidence from a special population without sunlight at work. Risk Management Healthcare Policy, 16, 1049-1057. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S420018
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SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT
Sleeping More Than 9 Hours Could Be Hurting Your Brain, Especially if You're Depressed
The Research: Researchers studied 1,853 adults and found that sleeping nine hours or more per night was linked to worse cognitive performance, including memory and executive functions like planning and problem-solving. The study revealed this effect was significantly stronger in people with depressive symptoms.
Why It Matters: This research challenges the assumption that more sleep is always better. Consistently sleeping nine or more hours appears to signal, or possibly contribute to, cognitive decline, particularly when depression is in the mix. Long sleep could reflect underlying brain changes, disrupted circadian rhythms, or inflammation.
Try It Today: If you're regularly sleeping nine or more hours and still feeling foggy or unmotivated, don't assume you just need more rest. Long sleep paired with low mood may be a signal worth exploring with a healthcare provider.
Aim for the 7-8 hour range. If you're consistently oversleeping, consider what might be driving it: untreated depression, poor sleep quality, or sleep disorders. Prioritizing consistent wake times, morning light exposure, and daytime movement can help regulate your sleep naturally.
DAILY PRACTICE
Affirmation
I can honor my deep connection to others without losing myself in the process. My well-being and theirs are intertwined, not opposed.
Gratitude
Think of one way your life has been quietly improved by someone else's work, care, or existence. That invisible thread reminds you how dependent we all are on each other.
Permission
It's okay to need people and to let them need you. Interdependence isn't weakness; it's how humans are designed to function.
Try This Today (2 minutes):
Notice three ordinary moments today where your life is made easier or better because of someone else: the person who grew your food, the friend who texted, the stranger who smiled. Acknowledge the web of connection that holds your day together.
COMMUNITY VOICES
"I Realized I Was Treating Self-Improvement Like Punishment"
Shared by Rachel, 27
Every January, I'd make these long lists. Wake up at 5am. No sugar. Work out six days a week. Read for an hour every night. Journal daily. Meal prep every Sunday. I'd last maybe two weeks before crashing hard and spending the rest of the year feeling like garbage about myself.
The whole thing was wrapped in this layer of shame. I needed to fix myself. Be better. Stop being lazy. My inner voice sounded like a drill sergeant who hated me.
Last spring, I hired a trainer and told her my usual routine. She asked why I wanted to work out, and I said something about needing to be disciplined and stop being so weak. She said to me, "That's a terrible reason. What if you just tried moving your body because it feels good?"
That genuinely hadn't occurred to me. I'd spent years punishing myself in the name of improvement, treating every new habit like penance for being inadequate. So I tried her way. I started walking because I like being outside, not because I had to burn calories. I cut back on sugar because I sleep better, not because I'm bad for eating it. Turns out, you can actually grow without hating yourself the entire time.
Share Your Story
Have a mental health journey you'd like to share with our community? Reply back to this email. All submissions are anonymized and edited for length with your approval before publication. Each published story receives a $10 donation to the mental health charity of your choice.
MENTAL HEALTH NEWS
Building climate resilience for the mind. Extreme weather leaves lasting anxiety, PTSD, and attention strain, often amplified by nonstop media. Experts call for long-term, community-based mental health support in climate plans, less doom-scrolling, and dedicated funding at forums like COP30.
Five 2026 mental-health trends set to reshape work. Employers should brace for “continuous care” expectations, rising off-label AI use with privacy risks, hard-to-spot “quiet burnout,” election-driven stress, and greater needs from neurodivergent staff.
Evening Reset: Notice, Write, Settle
Visualization
Picture a forest where trees communicate through underground root systems, sharing nutrients and warnings across vast distances. Each tree appears separate above ground, but beneath the surface, they're intimately connected, sustained by what they give and receive from each other. Tonight you can recognize that your life works the same way: independent on the surface, but deeply interwoven with countless others beneath.
Journal
Spend three minutes writing: How have I been pretending I'm more independent than I actually am, and what might open up if I acknowledged how much I rely on and affect others?
Gentle Review
Close your notebook and ask yourself: Where did I feel most connected to others today? Where have I been isolating myself unnecessarily? How can I honor my connections tomorrow without losing my boundaries?
Shared Wisdom
"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men." — Herman Melville
Pocket Reminder
You are not an island; you're a thread in an infinite tapestry of connection.
THIS WEEK’S MEDIA RECOMMENDATION
Book: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Read: Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
Lori Gottlieb flips the script on what we think we know about therapy by taking us inside her own sessions as a client while simultaneously treating others. A seasoned therapist finds herself blindsided by heartbreak and discovers that knowing all the theories doesn't exempt you from needing help. What makes this essential reading is Gottlieb's unflinching honesty about the messiness of being human, showing that healing isn't about having all the answers, but about being brave enough to sit with the questions.
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MONDAY’S PREVIEW
Coming Monday: Scientists reversed anxiety by rebalancing a single brain circuit in the amygdala, proving emotional regulation problems aren't character flaws but neurological patterns that can be corrected at the circuit level.
MEET THE TEAM
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*The Daily Wellness shares educational content only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a licensed provider for personalized care.