Does December fill you with cheer and excitement for the upcoming year? Odds are, no – not at all. According to the American Psychological Association, half of all people experience sadness or irritability during the holiday season, while up to two-thirds of respondents acknowledge feeling stress and fatigue.

There can be many factors affecting our mood as the days become shorter, darker, colder, and seemingly more hectic; it’s no wonder the month of December can usher in feelings of loneliness and depression. For teens and young adults especially, it can be a time of bitter sweet nostalgia as you remember a time when life may have been less complicated, and the holidays were once actually magical. Maybe family relations are more strained at this juncture in your life or this time of year; maybe your future after the year ends is more uncertain. You could also be experiencing the simple sugar crash from too many icing glazed cookies and party sweets. What ever the reason for your sudden decrease in happiness, there are a few ways to make it through the holiday haze:

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