It’s not the jolly season for some

IT’S THE season to be jolly, when families get together around a table enjoying Christmas lunch, sharing gifts and love. Or so the movies want us to believe. The SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said films play a big role in creating unreasonable expectations for this time of the year.

Psychologist Christo van der Westhuizen said movies create expectations of the ideal family, which may make people resentful or heighten the tension or conflicts between family members if their families don’t quite measure up.

“There’s this vision and movie idea that holiday gatherings with family are supposed to be all fun and stress-free,” he said. “The reality is that family relationships are complicated and can be full of stress. But that’s not a reason to ignore the holidays completely.”

Last week, the organisation held a question-and-answer session on Facebook that allowed people to ask questions on how to cope during the festive season.

Psychiatrist Dr Marcelle Stastny was one of the experts on call. She said the session went well, with people calling in for a number of reasons.

“Some of my patients are genuinely sad and lonely and become even more so over the holidays when they ruminate over their losses. Even when happy, some of us also have a deep melancholy for lost loved ones or broken ideals, such as divorce. The relentless pressure to have fun when we are sad is exhausting.”

To speak to a counsellor, call 0800 70 80 90 from 8am to 8pm or visit www.sadag.org