I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news,
but she just smiled and turned away.

"The Blues" tend to be a short-lived response lasting only a few days to a few weeks around the holiday season or a particular life-changing event e.g. birth of a child, graduating from high school or college, sending a child off to school. Characteristics of the Blues is that the emotions—sadness, loneliness, depression, anxiety—although intense and unsetteling, are generally short-lived and usually subside within a few weeks once a daily routine is resumed.

The Blues can occur during or after the holidays "Holiday Blues", or after the birth of a child "Postpartum Blues." The Holiday Blues often a result of a mis-match between high expectations for the perfect holiday combined with memories of holidays past and loved ones no longer present and the reality of the present holiday. Postpartum Blues may occur following the birth of a baby, as the mother adjusts to a life forever changed. The "Empty Nest Syndrome" could also be viewed as another variation of The Blues.

Blues vs. Depression
A person experiencing the Blues, especially symptoms of hopelessness and depression consistently for more than two weeks or if the feelings intensify, a simple case of the blues may in reality be a serious case of depression. With Depression, the symptoms are present nearly every day and persist for the majority of the day for at least 2 weeks, occurring together during the same time frame, and causing a level of distress or impairment that interferes with important aspects of daily life e.g. work, self care and social activities.

Concerning symptoms include:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood.
• Sleeping too much or too little, middle-of-the night or early morning waking.
• Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain.
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex.
• Irritability or restlessness.
• Difficulty thinking, concentrating, remembering or making decisions.
• Fatigue or loss of energy.
• Thoughts of death or suicide.
• Feeling inappropriate guilt, hopelessness or worthlessness.

The Blues & Grief
With many losses, the pain never entirely departs, rather it becomes a part of the bereaved, tucked away in a corner somewhere in the deep recesses of the heart. What happens is that over time the intense initial painful emotions lessen to a level that allows the grieving person to function. There it remains at a constant low level ache, which with time may be overridden. The grief is no longer a daily all-consuming emotion.

One of the side affects of the grief response is experiencing periodic bouts of "The Blues" triggered by old memories and sudden, unexpected reminders that can bring the intensity of the grief feelings back anew. These are referred to as "STUG" responses by Therese Rando or "Subsequent, Temporary, Upsurges of Grief." In her book Treament of Complicated Mourning Rando describes a STUG reactions as "brief periods of intense grief which occur when a catalyst reminds one of the absence of the loved one or resurrects memories of the death, the loved one, or feelings about the loss. It is important for the grieving person and their healthcare providers both to recognize that such reactions are usually healthy and understandable, but are often incorrectly diagnosed as "pathological" responses.

For More Information
This site has a variety of articles written about the Blues—Holiday or Anyday. There are also articles with information pertaining to some of the complications of "The Blues" namely depression and suicide. Finally several links are included for ways of dealing with the blues. Some of the resources are new articles, others are links to information from the original version of Journey of Hearts.™ Fortunately, much of the information on grief and loss is timeless so the main content on grief and loss created for the original version of the site is still accurate, informative and relevant.

• How Tragic Events Impact the Holiday Season
• The Holidays 2001: Coping in this Year of Change & Uncertainty
• Good Grief! I'm Having a Charlie Brown Xmas.
• Basics about the Holiday Blues
• Background Information
• Blues vs. Depression
• Factors that can contribute Holiday Blues
• Symptoms of Holiday Blues
• Assessing the Risk for Suicide
• Finding Help for the Blues
• Suggestions for Coping with the Blues
• Creatively Expressing Grief
• Ways of Dealing with Old Unwanted Memories
• Suggestions for Dealing with the Holiday Blues

Time does restore to us our quiet joy
in the spiritual presence of those we love,
so that we learn to remember without pain,
and to speak
without choking up with tears.

But all our lives we will be subject
to sudden small reminders
which will bring all the old loss back, overwhelmingly.