According to Dow, loneliness and a feeling of isolation are the most common triggers.
This is considered reasonable because of epigenetics, or the study of how behavioral and environmental factors influence how genes function without changing DNA.
“Stress from loneliness can ‘turn on’ genes for mental illness, particularly in people with a personal or family history,” Dow said, as quoted by Very Well Mind.
On the other hand, Dow notes that people who spend time with family and friends during the holidays may get a boost in feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin.
As the holiday season comes to an end, these factors disappear and disappointment sets in.
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Feelings experienced include feelings of emptiness, loneliness, stress, and feeling lost.
Meanwhile, several symptoms can occur. However, these symptoms can vary, lasting a long time in some people and disappearing quickly in others.
Someone suffering from post-holiday blues may experience the following symptoms after the holiday season ends:
Some people may also dream more often and think about problems or things that happened during the previous holiday season.
This condition can worsen feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness.
It may take some time to recover from sadness after a long vacation. However, there are several ways to make us feel more comfortable, including:
- Other people have had very pleasant experiences with their beloved family during the holidays
- Lonely
- Isolated
- Family problem
- There had been previous mental health problems
- Alcohol abuse or drinking too much during vacation
According to Dow, the most common triggers are loneliness and a feeling of isolation.
This is considered reasonable based on epigenetics or the study of how behavioral and environmental factors influence how genes work without changing DNA.
“Stress from loneliness can “turn on” genes for mental illness, especially in those with a personal or family history,” said Dow, as quoted from Very Well Mind.
