By now, if you look around, you will see everywhere the Christmas decorations are up. Whether it is the Christmas tree itself, or the lights, or fake snowflakes, your surrounding is all light up! But does it make you nervous, anxious or even depressed? It could be the Christmas Blues. And yes, it exists!

Festive depression is when people who find the festive period difficult to deal with. However, a trust by National Health Service (NHS) UK is reminding them that it is okay to seek help for mental health.

Dr Emma Tiffin, a local GP and mental health clinical lead for NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said. "Whether you are...struggling financially or facing difficult memories, lots of us struggle with our mental health at this time of year and can feel more lonely than usual. It is important to remember you are not alone. It is OK to not be OK and there's a wife range of services available."

The services NHS trust providing are online advice, phone and text helplines, specialist bereavement sites or crisis mental health support. Dr Tiffin has also urged "people to look out for others".

Dr Tiffin says that a phone call or a visit can make all the difference to someone's wellbeing this Christmas. Support for mental health issues includes services which are also geared towards younger and older people alike, and is available on NHS 111's crisis line.

Why do some people feel depressed on Christmas?

If you know anything about Christmas, you may also know about Grinch, who stole Christmas. He was an orphan who longed for a family and parents who would actually care about him. This is why when he sees Christmas, a children's holiday that is inclusive of family fun and love, while he has neither, he becomes sad. He also is annoyed by noisy Christmas festivities and extravagant decorations, but deep down, this holiday reminds him of his childhood void of love and security.

To many who feel depressed around Christmas might relate to Grinch. It may not be the same reason, but there could be memories associated with festivities which are sour. This is what we call Christmas Blues!

What Causes Christmas Blues?

Psychologist Ashi Tomar notes few causes that may lead to Christmas Blues:

• The idealized image of a perfect Christmas sometimes creates unrealistic expectations for those who do not have the similar circumstances as they see elsewhere. There obviously comes a comparison with lives of others.

• There are extra activities, organizing feasts and dinner, which sometimes can leave one feeling overwhelmed and unloved.

• People who are away from their family can also feel lonely or sad.

• It also prompts reflection on the past years, which can also be frustrating for many, especially if the goals are not met.

Tomar also highlight that when an individual is unable to meet basic financial demands during holidays, it may lead to feelings of insecurity, increased anxiety, and symptoms of depression. "Since human beings are wired for connection, isolation around this time increases feelings of sadness and loneliness impacting emotional well-being. When there are unrealistic demands in terms of the holiday season, where there is a gap between ideal expectations and one’s actual life, it may lead to feelings of failure, inadequacy, or worthlessness."

What is Seasonal affective Disorder?

This is also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). When people change their behavior in accordance with certain seasons, they experience SAD. It is also during Christmas when the sun is not as bright as it is in summers and behavior changes, becomes more negative when there is less sunlight.

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Most people find themselves sleeping or eating more than necessary during winters. Light is thought to influence SAD, because it affects the natural biological clock that regulates hormones, sleep, and moods. When sunlight exposure decreases in winters, individuals affected by SAD have difficulty regulating their biological clock.

As per a 2016 study published in the Oxford University Press titled Seasonal difference in Brain Serotonin transporter binding predicts symptom severity in patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder, states that SAD appears in people whose brains maintain high levels of serotonin transporters, leading to lower levels of serotonin.

Tomar says that it is important to seek a diagnosis from a mental health professional and to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (Depression), given that the symptoms should have been present for at least 2 weeks.

Symptoms include:

• Persistent sadness and feelings of irritability and discontentment most of the day throughout the day.
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness.
• Excessive inappropriate feelings of guilt
• Neglecting self-care and engaging in binge eating, excessive alcohol consumption, and reliance on substances.
• Isolating and withdrawing from others.
• Changes in sleep patterns and appetite.
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and decrease in motivation and productivity.
• Significant weight loss or weight gain without trying.
• Increased levels of fatigue and decrease in concentration and decisiveness.
• Recurrent thoughts of dying or suicidal ideations.

ALSO READ: Seasonal Depression Is Real: Expert Tells What Are The Best Ways To Deal With It

How can you cope up?

While there exists antidepressants, and light therapy, as well as vitamin D supplements to treat SAD. Tomar suggests, letting go of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations regarding the holiday season. "Rather focusing on small, meaningful ways to enjoy and celebrate," she says.

Other ways to cope could be:

• Practicing gratitude journaling to focus on the positive aspects and experiences rather than fixating on negative cognitions.
• Setting up meet-ups or virtual calls with loved ones to enhance social connections may help meet the need for belongingness and a sense of comfort and safe space.
• Engaging in self-care practices like maintaining regular exercise, sleep, and fulfilling dietary needs. These can help stabilize mood.
• Focusing on the non-material aspects of enjoying the festival and carefully budgeting and planning expenses to avoid financial distress.
• Break holiday tasks into small manageable activities and delegate and seek help as necessary.
• Prioritize hobbies and interests.

Ashi Tomar is a senior psychologist with Veda Rehabilitation and Wellness.

We have all heard people say that they are old souls trapped in a young body, however, this is a figure of speech people use. While this phrase may mean you like old school things, it can also happen literally. Sometimes your body ages faster than you do, but this is the biological age we are talking about. While chronological aging is counted as the years we have lived, biological age can be faster or slower.

Think of it as perishable food. If you leave them in unfavorable environments, they can spoil fast, becoming edible. However, when you keep them in the correct environment with even temperature, the food will stay edible for longer than it should. Our bodies are similar in that sense. If you take care of it, limiting processed food, exercising and taking care of your health, you will find that your biological age is much slower or healthier than a person who does the opposite. However, what is the connection between biological aging and our lifestyle. How do we age slower/faster depending on our choices.

A new study suggests that signs of faster aging in your body are connected to a higher chance of developing dementia and stroke. Specifically, researchers found that people with shorter telomeres in their white blood cells tend to have an increased risk of these two brain conditions. These findings were published recently in the journal Neurology.

What Are Telomeres and Why Do They Matter?

Think of telomeres as the protective caps on the ends of your chromosomes, much like the plastic tips on shoelaces. They prevent your chromosomes from unraveling and getting damaged. Every time your cells divide, these telomeres get a little shorter. This makes them a useful way to estimate a person's biological age, which is how much wear and tear your body has accumulated from stress over time, rather than just your age in years. Your biological age can be quite different from your actual age.

Lifestyle Habits Can Counter the Risk

However, there's good news: the study found that this link between shorter telomeres and brain diseases wasn't present in people who maintained healthy lifestyle habits. This suggests that even if your body shows signs of faster aging, you can still reduce your risk of age-related brain diseases. This includes things like keeping a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. These healthy choices can help delay the aging of your cells and lower your chances of developing these conditions, especially if you're already at a higher risk.

Shorter Telomeres, Higher Risk

For this study, researchers looked at genetic data from over 356,000 people. They categorized participants into three groups based on the length of their telomeres: short, medium, or long. They then compared telomere length to people's lifestyle habits and whether they had developed dementia, stroke, or depression.

Over an average of seven years, nearly 26,000 people developed at least one of these three age-related brain diseases. People with the shortest telomeres had significantly more cases of these brain diseases compared to those with the longest telomeres. Overall, after considering other risk factors, individuals with short telomeres were 11% more likely to develop one of these brain diseases. More specifically, they faced an 8% increased risk of stroke, a 19% increased risk of dementia, and a 14% increased risk of late-life dementia.

It's important to remember that this study shows a connection, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship between telomere length and brain health.

Sometimes it feels like our bladder has a mind of its own, ringing the washroom alarm at the most inconvenient times. However, what makes it more difficult is that many people, who have difficulty holding the urge or have any bladder issues, find it very difficult to make it in time.

Have you ever felt a sudden, strong urge to pee right when you see your front door, put your key in the lock, or open your garage? This common experience is called "latchkey incontinence." Researchers believe they've found ways to reduce these sudden urges and bladder leaks triggered by such familiar cues.

A recent study, published in the June issue of Continence, shows that both mindfulness training and brain stimulation helped reduce bladder leaks in people with latchkey incontinence. Bladder leaks can be very distressing. As one researcher explained, "Incontinence is a massive deal." People might avoid social activities or exercise because they worry about accidents, which can lead to loneliness and depression, especially for older adults.

Why Do People Get The Urge To Pee When You See A Bathroom?

Latchkey incontinence is a type of situational urgency incontinence, meaning specific triggers make you feel like you need to urinate right away. Other common triggers include hearing or seeing running water, or walking past a public restroom.

This is similar to Pavlovian conditioning: after years of going to the bathroom once you're inside your house, your body learns to associate certain actions, like opening your front door, with the need to urinate. Earlier research connected latchkey incontinence to a specific part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This area becomes more active when people are shown their personal triggers. This part of the brain acts like the "executive control center" for your bladder, telling you it's time to go.

What Are the New Testing Treatments?

For this study, researchers wanted to find ways to control this brain response. They worked with 61 women over 40 who experienced situational urgency incontinence. These women were divided into three groups while viewing photos of their personal triggers:

• One group listened to a 20-minute mindfulness exercise.
• Another group received brain stimulation through electrodes placed on their scalp.
• The third group received both mindfulness and brain stimulation.

The mindfulness exercise involved paying attention to different parts of their body, including any bladder sensations. After just four in-office sessions over five or six days, all three groups experienced less urgency and fewer leaks. The improvements were similar to those seen with other treatments like medication or physical therapy for the pelvic floor.

These results are very encouraging because they suggest that tools like mindfulness can be an alternative or an additional way to improve symptoms. Most participants completed the study, and some even sent "thank you cards," showing how much this research meant to them. Incontinence is often a difficult topic to discuss, and many people don't realize that treatments are available. As one researcher said, "You don’t have to suffer in silence."

Next, researchers plan to test the mindfulness therapy in living facilities for seniors and hope to eventually create a smartphone app that can help people manage their symptoms.

With the rising number of cases related to various heart related issues, health anxiety can provoke spiralling thoughts like "what if I am getting a heart attack now" or "can I prevent a heart attack"? If your body is whispering a warning that you can’t afford to ignore it.

In the high-stakes world of heart health, seconds count. Yet many people fail to recognize early warning signs of heart blockages until it's too late. While sophisticated tests like ECGs and angiograms are crucial, what if your own body could offer clues long before a medical emergency unfolds? According to leading cardiac experts, it often does.

So, how can you detect these warning signs without a single test? And what should you do if you're home alone when symptoms strike? A leading heart surgeon breaks it all down for you.

With rising cardiovascular disease rates worldwide—especially among younger adults—being able to identify early red flags of heart blockages from the comfort of your home isn’t just helpful; it could be life-saving. Dr. Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon from Georgia and a popular voice in the heart health community, is on a mission to teach everyday people how to read their body’s signals and act swiftly in case of a cardiac emergency.

Spotting Heart Blockages Without Medical Tests

Dr. London emphasizes that no blood test or medical scan is a substitute for listening to your own body. “How can you tell that you may have important blockages of the heart arteries without a single blood test, X-ray, or ECG?” he asks. “Well, not surprisingly, you have to listen to your body.”

The human heart often signals distress long before it fails. According to Dr. London, four symptoms deserve immediate attention:

• Chest tightness or discomfort
• Persistent chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Radiating pain to the jaw or arm

What’s critical, he says, is the pattern of these symptoms. “If these sensations worsen with exertion—like walking upstairs or brisk movement—and ease when you rest, that’s a red flag,” he explains. This pattern suggests the presence of a partially blocked artery struggling to meet the heart’s demand for oxygen during physical activity.

Dr. London likens it to a clogged pipe: “Let’s assume you have a blockage in the artery that feeds the front of the heart. When you move, that area becomes blood-starved and you experience symptoms. When you stop and rest, the demand drops, and so do the symptoms.”

What Are Silent Heart Blockages?

Not all heart blockages present textbook symptoms. Many people, especially women, diabetics, and older adults, may have "silent ischemia"—a form of heart disease without obvious discomfort. Dr. London cautions that while the presence of exertion-based chest pain is concerning, the absence of symptoms does not mean your arteries are clear.

This is why annual health checkups and paying close attention to subtle changes in physical endurance or energy levels are essential, especially for individuals over 40 or with a family history of cardiovascular issues.

What To Do If You Suspect a Heart Attack At Home?

If you feel you are experiencing a heart attack while alone at home is a terrifying scenario but there are crucial steps you can take to protect yourself until help arrives.

1. Call 911 Immediately

Time is the most critical factor. Don't wait for the symptoms to go away. Call emergency services without delay.

2. Make Yourself Easy to Find

“If it's nighttime, turn on all your lights—inside and out—so EMS can identify your home quickly,” says Dr. London. He adds, “Unlock or even better, open your front door. If you become incapacitated, responders won’t have to break in or waste time trying to gain entry.”

3. Sit or Lie Down

This reduces the risk of injury if you faint. A fall during a cardiac event could compound the danger with head trauma or bone fractures.

4. Inform Someone You Trust

If you can, alert a friend or family member. Not only can they come to assist, but they can also inform paramedics of your medical history, medications, or allergies if you’re unable to speak.

Dr. London strongly encourages households—especially those with elderly members or individuals at high risk of heart disease—to create a personalized emergency plan. “Preparation can save lives,” he says. Your plan should include:

• Emergency contact numbers
• Access to any prescribed medications like aspirin or nitroglycerin
• Easy access to doors and visible house numbers
• A buddy system or wellness check arrangement if living alone

Can You Prevent Blockages In Your Heart?

Spotting symptoms early is essential but preventing blockages in the first place is even better. A heart-healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce your risk:

Diet: Emphasize fiber-rich, whole foods while limiting saturated fats and processed sugar.

Exercise: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.

Regular checkups: Keep tabs on cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

Stress management: Chronic stress can raise cortisol and blood pressure, increasing cardiovascular risk.

Quit smoking: Tobacco use narrows arteries and increases plaque buildup.

Heart blockages often give off clues but only if we’re paying attention. Dr. Jeremy London’s insights offer a wake-up call to listen more closely to what our bodies are saying, especially during moments of physical exertion or unexplained fatigue.

Learning how to detect and respond to potential heart issues while at home doesn’t replace professional medical care but it can bridge the critical minutes between symptom onset and lifesaving intervention.