KINGSTON, Jamaica — While many of us are feeling the Christmas spirit, and making exciting plans to see family, partying and enjoying the holidays, there is a group of people who are silently suffering the effects of seasonal depression.

As the name suggests, seasonal depression is a medical illness that negatively affects how a person feels, the way one thinks and acts, but it is made worse during a particular season or time during the year.

According to mental health advocate —and someone who battles this illness as well— Angelique Cohen, the Christmas period is usually the time that most people experience seasonal depression.

“Typically it is something that triggers the depressive thoughts during that season why it would be that every time that season rolls around it happens,” Cohen explained

“For different people it’s different things. So for me I lost my parents at an early age and I have a lot of abandonment issues associated with the people who are alive. So dealing with these facts and going through Christmas— which for many is family- oriented and everywhere you go you hear all these Christmas carols, and seeing the Christmas trees; family dinners and togetherness with everybody exchanging gifts— the season is a constant reminder of the things that you don’t have,” she disclosed.

Cohen added that these reminders often bring up negative feelings of hurt, anger and loneliness and this usually leads to the individual going into a depressive state. Left unchecked, that person, feeling as if there are no other options, could commit suicide, adding to the high rate of the act being committed during the holiday season.

“Sometimes it is very hard for people to understand but depression is not just an emotional thing, it is also mental and physical and you really don’t understand until you experience that hurt. It is so bad that it is a physical pain. So when you really and truly feel that hurt, it is so bad that you just think that you cannot go on,” the advocate added.

Cohen went on to share with Observer Online some tactics that have helped her through her seasonal depression. These include:

1. Taking things one step at a time: While it sounds simple, focusing on one thing rather than a whole is often the only way for people who struggle with depression to get through the day.

2. Crying things out: She encourages crying as a way to release pent-up feelings, as these get worse when they are bottled up and internalised. “It is okay to cry,” Cohen said, “Just let it go; it is worse to keep it in.”

3. Reaching out to people: People with depression are encouraged to reach out to people, even a stranger because they will need help, no matter what. In relaying her own experience Cohen said, “Before now, generally during this time, I would withdraw and go into a shell but I realised that it doesn’t work for me. Just two nights ago I was having horrible panic attacks and I was feeling very suicidal and at 1:00am I just called someone because I know ‘if you slip you slide’ and we were on the phone for two hours with the person trying to help me.”

4. Talking about your feelings: This can be with a therapist or with a friend. Just find a listening ear, but DO NOT bottle it up.

5. Knowing and believing that you are not alone: While there are people with different stories and experiences, believe that what you feel in a depressive state is probably something that others are experiencing as well. There are others fighting along with you daily.

6. Doing breathing exercises, stretching and doing physical exercises

7. Staying on medication: If you are on medication for depression, stay on them no matter how depressed you feel because skipping one day makes it easier to skip the next and then it is completely downhill from there.

The mental health advocate also noted how people can support their loved ones who struggle with seasonal depression.

“Be there for them and check-in no matter what they say, especially if surface answers like ‘I’m okay’ or ‘I’m fine’ are given. Don’t accept that, and keep pressing for a more expressive answer,” Cohen said.

She advised that loved ones should ask ‘how are you feeling?’ compared to ‘how are you’, to encourage a deeper and well thought out answer.

She also added: “Don’t just check in on the ones that you tag as lonely, check in on the strong ones; they usually need it more at this time. They are usually considered strong because they are behind everybody and they don’t usually talk because they believe they are supposed to be strong.”