The Season of Magnification

It’s the joyous time of the year, or so they tell us. From Thanksgiving through Christmas right to New Year’s Eve, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation is at its worst. As families gather to celebrate, those suffering from any kind of mental stress seem to drown even in what is considered to be the happiest time of the year. What is the reason during the season? Magnification.
MAGNIFICATION
Magnification is simply seeing things larger than they are. Think of a bug under a magnifying glass. It’s appearance is larger than life and the details of the insect are pronounced. So, too, is the season of magnification upon the human heart, mind, and soul. Pain becomes magnified. Sorrow and suffering become larger-than-life. Frustration, fear, and the feelings of being out of control all become an exaggerated version of the pain.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is simply a loss of control. Image being the passenger in a car and struggling to find peace with someone else’s driving. Perhaps they drive too close to the car in front of you. Maybe they drive at a greater speed than the limit provides. As you sit back in your seat you are powerless to control someone else’s driving. Panic sinks in and muscles tense. During the season of magnification, imagine that the steering wheel is gone, and the brakes no longer work.
DEPRESSION
Those dealing with depression have lost the motivation to move on. Forward steps seem pointless and painful. Hope fades and each step becomes an unbearable foe. Magnify those emotions. As you wade chest deep into the mud and mire, place a 200lb backpack on your shoulders. The backpack is not filled with tools for the journey. The backpack is filled with rocks, each representing pain and suffering you have endured through the process of just getting through the day, week, month, or year.
SUICIDAL IDEATION
Suicidal ideation is simply the though of ending one’s own life. If anxiety is the loss of control and depression the loss of motivation, suicidal ideation is the complete loss of hope. Whatever tiny string is left to hold onto during the course of the year is being cut thread by thread through the season of magnification. Those who believe they are building you up are simply a reminder of what you are not, and the pain just seems to get worse with every song of cheer you try so desperately to avoid.
FLIP OF THE COIN
On the opposite side of the coin, like becomes love, hope becomes reality, and ignorance becomes bliss. Every strength taken to an extreme becomes a weakness. In the season of magnification, those suffering from an exaggerated life become the victims of greater pain and torment than most can handle. Suicide rates rise, marriages fall apart, and dreams die all because of the comparison of what it is versus what the holidays proclaim it should be.
PROFESSIONAL INTERVENTION
Professional therapists help their clients find balance. In mental health, it is important to instill the belief that the client can find hope and healing through the discovery of the problem then learning how to use the tools to overcome. There is no reason this holiday season to suffer alone. Through therapeutic interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), existential therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Sand Tray or Art Therapy, or even Narrative Therapy, you can learn how to celebrate this holiday season by giving yourself the gift of professional counseling.
GET STARTED NOW
It is never too early to start. Please do not wait until it is too late. Come discover the best version of you that you can be. The staff of BestYOUtx are here to help you discover your purpose and passions so that in this season of magnification you can shine like the brightest star found on any Christmas tree. Together we can find your best qualities and magnify them to help you get from a place of despair to a beacon of hope for those still struggling through. You can be the very best of the holidays for yourself, your loved ones, and those around you who may have lost the sense of control, the motivation to carry on, or the hope that things can improve.