http://saynotostigma.com/2010/11/tis-the-season-to-be-jolly/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tis-the-season-to-be-jolly a blog of The Menninger Clinic Thu, 23 May 2013 13:17:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://saynotostigma.com/2010/11/tis-the-season-to-be-jolly/comment-page-1/#comment-473 Anne Barnett Rhodes Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:00:03 +0000 http://saynotostigma.com/?p=941#comment-473 Even for folks not suffering at this time with mental illness, the holidays can be very stressful. There are so many expectations that we have derived from "the advertised frivolity" that unless we feel deliriously joyful, we may feel that something is wrong with us. It is not necessary, nor do I believe possible, that from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day that we experience extreme joy, peace, and happiness. Hopefully there will be an abundance of these feelings, but if there are times, even days, when they are in short supply, there is nothing "wrong" with us. Even for folks not suffering at this time with mental illness, the holidays can be very stressful. There are so many expectations that we have derived from “the advertised frivolity” that unless we feel deliriously joyful, we may feel that something is wrong with us. It is not necessary, nor do I believe possible, that from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day that we experience extreme joy, peace, and happiness. Hopefully there will be an abundance of these feelings, but if there are times, even days, when they are in short supply, there is nothing “wrong” with us.

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