Blessed, Stressed Holidays

About the Author: Austin Welker is the Clinical Supervisor of the Gateway Chemical Dependency Treatment Unit at the South Dakota Human Services Center in Yankton, South Dakota. 

I think it’s obvious that the changes of season in South Dakota impact what kinds of activities we partake in, but have you ever noticed how it impacts your overall attitude? For example, when cool fall weather hit South Dakota, it triggered hordes of vest-wearing guys and gals to flock to their local coffee establishments for pumpkin spiced everything, an instant mood-improver. The reprieve from the summer heat and the ability to dust off those hoodie sweatshirts also boosted attitudes around the state. Now that the bitter cold has set in, though, we’re all faced with the looming risk of vitamin D deficiency from shorter, colder days and the looming financial pressure of purchasing holiday gifts for family and friends. What a roller coaster!

But how sensitive are we to these stressors, exactly? How much season-related pressure can we take before it impacts our physical or mental health? Maybe the historical example of “prairie fever” can help guide us to an understanding.

When settlers moved across this nation and crossed the Great Plains, they experienced such frequent mental breakdowns that it warranted naming and documenting. The mental breakdowns were caused by the harsh living conditions and extreme isolation of the homesteads built by pioneers as they strived to find new homes. Even the frequency and intensity of the snow and winds during the winter months were thought to be a cause of mental and emotional struggle in our region, causing many to turn back to where they had come from. Thankfully, “prairie fever” saw a steep decline with improvements to modes of communication and travel. 

While we don’t experience “prairie fever” in today’s day and age, and sometimes we can hardly tell if the wind is blowing or not from inside our warm homes, it still feels like we get a little blue during the holiday season – despite the joy, laughter, and cheer. The wind, snow, and cold hasn’t changed since those pioneers settled here, but so many other things have. Our lives are enriched in countless ways compared to what those lonely homesteaders had – including our modern technology, opportunities for employment and self-expression, and constant connection to people near and far. Then why does it sometimes feel like we’re less happy than ever before?

I’d make some simple suggestions if I could be so bold:

• Watch those expectations.
• Going with the flow surely leads to more happiness than raising a high bar and being let down.
• Allowing room for personal growth and seeing that others can grow yet provides us with healthy areas of improvement and hope for others.
• Be grateful for the small things in your life. Sometimes I try to recount ten small things I’m grateful for in any given moment, and it helps me be thankful the next time I’m feeling like being a grinch.
• Final suggestion, please do your best to accept those around you. Nobody is perfect and we need to remember that sometimes the persistent cold and wind alone is enough to make us all feel a little blue while living on the prairie. 

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The mission of the Human Services Center (HSC) is to provide individuals with a mental health or substance use disorder or both with effective, individualized professional treatment enabling them to achieve their highest level of personal independence in the most therapeutic environment.

The mission of the Division of Behavioral Health is to strengthen and support children, youth and adults with behavioral health needs through prevention and early interventions services, community-based substance use disorder and mental health services, crisis care and recovery support services and psychiatric hospitalization. The goal of the continuum of behavioral health services is to foster independent and healthy individuals and families in South Dakota.

To read previous editions of the Mental Health Memo visit https://dss.sd.gov/keyresources/news.aspx#mhmemo.