Dear friends,
I’m taking a brief detour from our exploration of depression’s history to talk about something timely – how the holiday season affects our brain’s networks and what that means for depression. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, or simply try to survive the seasonal chaos, this time of year places unique demands on our neural circuits.
Remember those brain networks we discussed a few posts ago? The Default Mode Network that handles self-reflection, the Salience Network that decides what deserves our attention, and the Executive Network that helps us plan and focus? Well, the holidays have a way of pushing all of them into overdrive.
The Default Mode Network during the holidays often goes into hyperdrive with memories of past holidays (both cherished and painful), comparisons between our current reality and idealized holiday images, heightened awareness of absent loved ones or strained relationships, and reflections on the passing year. For those dealing with or prone to depression, this increased self-reflective activity can be particularly challenging. When the DMN is already primed for negative rumination, the cultural pressure to feel joyful can create a painful contrast that intensifies feelings of isolation or inadequacy.
The Salience Network faces its own holiday challenges. This network, which helps us decide what deserves our attention and emotional energy, gets bombarded with intense sensory input from lights, music, and crowds, complex social dynamics at gatherings, financial pressures, and timeline demands. For some, this network might already be miscalibrated – either overreacting to stressors or struggling to find pleasure in normally enjoyable experiences. The heightened demands of the season can exacerbate these tendencies, making it harder to maintain emotional balance.
Meanwhile, the Executive Network often struggles with managing complex social calendars, coordinating gift-giving and events, maintaining normal routines amid disruption, and balancing competing demands and expectations. When depression already taxes our cognitive resources, these additional demands can feel overwhelming. The mental fog you might experience with depression can make even simple holiday tasks feel insurmountable.
Understanding how these networks interact during the holidays gives us practical insights for managing this challenging season.
For an overwhelmed Executive Network, I find it helpful to use or create external structures that reduce the cognitive load of holiday planning. This might mean keeping a simple written plan rather than trying to hold everything in your head, tackling complex tasks during your clearest mental hours (often morning for those with depression), or creating templates for holiday activities that you can reuse rather than reinventing each time. Sometimes I’ll even write out basic daily routines and set calendar alerts to reduce decision fatigue – when the Executive Network is already taxed, even small decisions like when to eat or exercise can feel overwhelming. The key is to externalize as much of the planning process as possible, freeing up your Executive Network for the moments when you really need it. Think of it like creating a basic operating manual for yourself during the holidays. And remember – “good enough” truly is good enough during this season. Your Executive Network is already handling extra processing loads; it’s okay to simplify wherever possible.
For the Default Mode Network, create intentional space for reflection rather than letting it ambush you at random moments. Some practical ways to work with an overactive Default Mode Network during the holidays include setting aside a specific ‘worry time’ each day, creating simple morning rituals that ground you before the day begins, or using physical movement to shift out of rumination. Even simple actions like stepping outside to notice the winter air or doing a brief body scan while waiting in holiday shopping lines can help interrupt cycles of negative reflection.
For the Salience Network, actively managing sensory input becomes the priority during the holidays. I like to think about creating ‘sensory anchors’ throughout the day – consistent sensory experiences that your brain learns to associate with safety and calm. This could mean keeping a calming essential oil blend in your pocket, wearing particularly comfortable clothing when heading to crowded spaces, or having a soothing playlist ready for overwhelming moments. At the same time, it’s important to consciously manage your exposure to holiday intensity. This might mean taking strategic breaks from crowded environments, setting clear boundaries around social events, or creating quiet rituals that give your nervous system time to process and reset. The key is recognizing that you can shape your sensory environment, even during a season that often feels overwhelming.
Speaking of quiet rituals, I’d like to share one that I find particularly helpful during this season – mindful hot chocolate. Now, before you dismiss this as an unhelpful manifestation of my inner cookie monster, consider how this practice engages all three networks in a gentle, supportive way. Start with high-quality dark chocolate – I prefer at least 70% cacao for its rich flavors and mild bitter notes. As you heat your milk or milk alternative (full fat coconut milk for me), add a small pinch of cardamom and cinnamon. These warming spices don’t just enhance the flavor – they provide powerful sensory cues that help your brain shift out of holiday overwhelm and into the present moment. Each time you experience this combination, your brain gets better at predicting and creating a state of calm presence.
The process of making hot chocolate can become a mindful meditation in itself. Watch the chocolate slowly melt into the warm milk, notice the way the spices release their aroma. This sensory engagement helps regulate the Salience Network, while over time, the comfort and familiarity of this winter tradition (or any you do with intention) can provide the Default Mode Network with positive memories to cycle through instead of holiday stress. This simple ritual offers your Executive Network a brief respite from holiday planning and decisions. Instead of juggling complex tasks, it can focus on just this one sensory-rich moment. It’s a reminder that sometimes doing less – but doing it with full presence – is exactly what our overwhelmed brains need.
As you sip your creation, practice full presence with each sensation – the warmth of the mug in your hands, the rich aroma, the way the chocolate coats your tongue. This isn’t just about enjoyment (though that’s valuable too!) – it’s about giving your brain networks a chance to reset and regulate through intentional, mindful engagement with a simple pleasure.
Most importantly, remember that feeling out of sync with the “holiday spirit” doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you – your brain networks were already doing a lot of neural heavy lifting even before the chaos of the holidays! Remember, you don’t have to do everything perfectly. Even small moments of intentional practice can help: three conscious breaths before entering a holiday gathering, a minute of feeling your feet on the ground while waiting in line, or simply placing your hand on your heart when feeling overwhelmed. These micro-practices add up, giving your brain networks little moments of reset throughout the day.
If you’re supporting someone with depression during the holidays, I hope this helps you understand them better. Their withdrawal from holiday activities or struggle to maintain enthusiasm isn’t personal – it’s their brain networks doing their best to manage overwhelming input.
Until our next post, I invite you to be gentle with your neural networks during this demanding season. They’re working hard to process a complex world that doesn’t always make space for the full range of human experience. Perhaps start with that cup of mindful hot chocolate – your brain networks will thank you.
With care,
-Thomas
P.S. We’ll return to our historical journey through depression treatment in the next post, but I thought we all needed a moment to acknowledge the very real difficulty of navigating mental health challenges during what can be an emotionally complex season.
P.P.S. If hot chocolate is too stimulating for a holiday ritual you might try Ashwagandha steeped in coconut milk, with cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg and a pinch of maple sugar.