While many people feel excited to welcome Tet, some people fall into a state of boredom, lethargy, and loneliness.
Having been away from home for more than ten years, Ha Phuong (34 years old, from Dak Lak, currently working in Hanoi) returns home once a year during the Lunar New Year. For the past three years, instead of returning home to celebrate Tet with her family, she has chosen to stay in the capital or go on vacation. She is afraid that when she returns home, her relatives will ask about her marriage and income. In the eyes of everyone, not being married at the age of 30 is a failure.
Phuong felt like she couldn't do anything as years passed by, her career, love life, home, everything was still at a standstill. In the years she didn't return home for Tet, Phuong found joy by going to coffee shops, watching movies, and walking around town alone.
Similarly, every Tet holiday, Le Ha Anh (27 years old, Hanoi) often feels lonely, lethargic, and sad. Gradually, she finds the spring days boring and meaningless.
Ha Anh got married at the age of 20 and had two daughters. During Tet, she was constantly asked by relatives about her plans to have another child to continue the family line, making her depressed and feeling that the Tet holiday was becoming longer and longer.
After the Tet holiday, seeing that her mood did not change much, she went to the doctor for advice and was diagnosed with Holiday blues.
According to Dr. Tran Thi Hong Thu, Deputy Director of Mai Huong Daytime Psychiatric Hospital (Hanoi), many people experience recurring depression during the long Tet holidays. The most common symptom of the holiday blues is a feeling of sadness that lasts or recurs with varying intensities.
The Tet holiday is a time to gather with loved ones and it can bring up a lot of emotions, both good and bad. Some people may find themselves without close relationships and end up isolated and disconnected from other members. For example, some people are asked about marriage, children, income, work, health, making them uncomfortable and not wanting to interact.
Some signs of the holiday blues include changes in appetite or weight, disturbed sleep, depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, being more tired than usual, and loss of pleasure in doing things you once enjoyed.
According to Dr. Thu, this condition is different from mental illnesses. Usually, the symptoms of Holiday blues only appear for a short time and then disappear, but they affect the quality of life.
To overcome this situation, each person needs to spend more time for themselves and get enough rest, balance their time, prioritize physical and mental health care activities such as exercising, walking, meditating, taking a relaxing bath, self-treatment at a spa, reading a good book, watching movies or trying new things. Everyone needs enough sleep every day not only to maintain mental health but also to prevent diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke and nervous breakdown.
During the holidays, people tend to reach for foods high in fat and sugar. Include fruits and vegetables in your diet, and avoid drinking too much alcohol, which can make negative emotions harder to control.
You can start your day with a short exercise or meditation, practice deep breathing to calm your mind and trigger the release of endorphins, the feel-good hormones.
"Normally, the feeling of fatigue and boredom will temporarily disappear when the holiday season ends. However, in some people, this condition lasts and becomes more severe, easily turning into seasonal depression or anxiety disorder. At this time, you should seek help from a doctor or mental health professional," said Dr. Thu.
TH (according to VTC News)