Not a happy season for some

Slowly but surely we are approaching the final round of this year’s Christmas hype. Some love this time, some hate it, some just pass it by. However, many people are often caught up in this time by illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Some even take this last step. Regrettable for every life. It is important for this time to have an emergency number available where someone professional speaks to you.

The hypocrisy at Christmas probably gets on the nerves of many people—the “wrong” smile or the consumerism. I do not want to leave out the eternal small talk at every Christmas party. Not to mention the many people, the crowds, or the volume and noise. Gifts of money, often long-held antipathies, come to the fore loudly. Not all have anything to do with the old Christmas spirit.

My recipe as an introvert who likes to be alone—without being lonely—pay attention to your fellow human beings, listen to them, let them feel this love. Above all, let them speak, especially when they represent views that contradict yours. Have the emergency number of a telephone counseling service or a psychiatric emergency clinic ready, or maybe volunteer yourself. It will be an interesting life experience, believe me, and I’m speaking from experience.

For myself, I will make myself comfortable on my couch or bed, maybe with a glass of wine, a good book, maybe classic literature, in the background is soft music from Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner. At the end of the evening, maybe a good thriller/crime story to think about or a documentary by Dr. Anthony Fauci on the differences between today’s pandemics and those of the Spanish flu or the black plague. You can never learn enough in life, because you forget something regularly.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jürgen Schöfer, Ph.D.,

[email protected]