The holidays can be busy, and stressful, and if they remind you of losses in the past year, they can trigger loneliness, even if you're with people.
Loneliness is more than just being alone. The chair of pharmacology and systems physiology at the University of Cincinnati says it's a state of the brain that can have an emotional effect down the road. Jim Herman says being around other people helps the brain combat stress.
"Actually, the whole notion of the social environment can reduce the biological effects of stress on the body," he says. "You actually have the ability to better fight off the stressful times that are associated with the holidays."
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Herman says it's more than just staying too busy to be lonely. He says look for quality time, not quantity time.
It may sound simple, but he says to keep mentally healthy, make time for yourself.
"If you exercise, don't take time off from your exercise regimen, if that's what you enjoy. If you enjoy reading, if you enjoy watching television, you should make sure you're able to keep up with the things that make you feel good. Because that really is going be what's going to help stave off the potential negative effects of the stressfulness of the time."
He says getting together with friends for a drink may be a good way to combat loneliness, but there's a caveat with alcohol or other substances.
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"They do exactly the same thing. A lot of the things we've been talking about do. They actually go into the brain and they take over the circuits that are responsible for making us happy or reducing our stress or whatever," he says. "But of course, a lot of the substances are abuse-able and addictive."
Herman says with intoxicating substances, it's important to remember: a little goes a long way. He says drinks and drugs are at best a short-term fix that can have a big negative side down the road.
