For some of us, the holidays are a time of merriment, cheer, and family; a time to gather together with loved ones, exchange love and presents, and enjoy the comforts of family, food, and festivities. For others of us, the holidays are a time of mourning, grief, and remembrance. The loss of a loved one is often much more intense and near to us during the holidays. If you are among those who experience grief during the holiday season, please, do not feel that you are alone.

Let’s face it, Thanksgiving can be stressful. Even though being thankful is literally in the name, often times the only thing we’re thankful for is that our in-laws aren’t coming over (or that we’re not the one’s cooking!). Even with the best of families, the combination of relatives from out-of-town, close quarters, cooking, cleaning, navigating sensitive topics, and worrying about if it’s rude to take the last piece of pecan pie can become overwhelming (we’ll come back to pecan pie later).

Fall is here, and with it comes perfect cool weather, beautiful changing leaves, pumpkin spice everything, and oh yeah, darkness. Lack of sunlight leads to what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which can cause mental and emotional changes such as depression, anxiety, lethargy, apathy, and can cause changes in eating and sleeping habits (hello carb loading!!).