The end of the year can cause psychological distress

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Meetings, company get-togethers, preparations for parties, farewells, promises for 2025… There are so many concerns. The arrival of the end of the year can be a time of relief for those who long for vacation, rest, shade and fresh water. For others, however, the date is synonymous with torment and stress. Ângela Maria Lima says so.

“When the end of the year arrives, combining these commemorative dates — Christmas and New Year’s — is always a challenge,” says the 54-year-old financial assistant. The pressure of party preparations, family gatherings and guests’ expectations of her make her feel suffocated. “I feel like I can’t disappoint anyone,” he sums up.

During anxiety attacks, which recur during this period, Angela often suffers from tachycardia. “My mind races, it seems like I’m always on edge, thinking the worst. My hands sweat and I feel enormous pressure in my chest, as if I were being crushed”, he describes. Impatience gives way to crying and the feeling is of loss of control.

Sales consultant Aroldo Medeiros, 31, also suffers. “The end of the year for me is always a moment that awakens my anxiety”, that’s what he says. “I always make plans every year about what I want for the year and when I don’t do it it always gives me a strange feeling. Awakening my anxiety”, he said.

Read also: One in eight people who seek SUS has a mental health problem
Frustration
According to social psychologist Isadora Araújo, the end of the year is very ambiguous in relation to feelings and emotions. “Many people may feel excited about the holidays, others may, in fact, feel distressed or distressed. And it is common for the same individual to feel all of this during this period, even if they are contradictory sensations. These reactions have to do with the social expectations we place on the end-of-year festivities,” he says.

The “obligation” to celebrate Christmas with the family, for example, can mean having contact with good memories, but also with unresolved situations within this social group — such as cases of violence. The new year helps to remember goals and plans made in the past that may not have been put into practice as expected. “Having to face this failure to meet expectations can be very frustrating and painful”, explains Isadora.

Signs such as melancholy, tachycardia, body agitation, sweating and the desire to run away can be recurrent. Stress can manifest itself in a pronounced way due to concerns about unforeseen events in typical activities of the period, such as traveling and shopping. “It is important to emphasize that these symptoms do not necessarily indicate psychological disorders. These are manifestations that anyone can have, even in the best mental health conditions”, said the psychologist.

Read also: “Mental health demands arrive through SUS primary care”, says secretary
Origin
In Ângela’s case, the anxiety, amplified in December, had its origins in menopause, around the age of 48. “The hormonal changes were overwhelming. So the pressure to deal with home, family and work only got worse. I sought medical help, started therapy and, at times, needed medication to regain control,” he says.

The turning point occurred even with the practice of physical activities. “I realized that exercise works as an escape, calming the mind and releasing that accumulated tension. Furthermore, endorphins give me a feeling of well-being that I had never felt before”, he highlights. It is the physical exercises that Ângela has been counting on this year-end. “I still feel a little agitated, but I learned that slowing down is necessary,” he adds.

“It all started with the pandemic”, that’s what Aroldo says. For him, isolation was one of the biggest problems that aroused his anxiety. “I was very short of breath. The fear of dying, of losing my job, of everything that was happening, attacked my anxiety. What has helped me are therapy and Pilates classes”, he commented.

Support networks
Psychiatrist Alex Richardson explains that the end of the year sends many individuals to depressive symptoms, or simply to reflective sadness, as it is related to the end of cycles and family reunions, which can revive, for example, the feeling of loneliness and I mourn for those who left. Regarding the professional bias, the specialist draws attention to physical and emotional exhaustion, exemplified by burnout syndrome.

“At the end of the year, when people start to slow down, they find themselves exhausted and run the risk of developing depression. Furthermore, there is also seasonal depression, in which every year, patients with this type of disorder become depressed with a social bias, of course, but also with an important biological manifestation”, analyzes the psychiatrist, also professor of medicine at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB).

Therefore, the specialist reinforces that support networks are fundamental, including family, religious groups and friends. “The idea of ​​belonging is essential in everyday life, as it is common for traumatic family memories to reappear during this period. The act of giving and being gifted gives comfort and, in the biological context, releases endorphins and dopamine, causing feelings of well-being”, he recommends.

Focus on well-being
Physical educator Pedro Henrique Porto, 32, comments on the importance of practicing physical activity to control anxiety. “Physical activity is one of the most powerful tools for controlling anxiety. In addition to releasing endorphins, which improve mood, it helps channel that accumulated energy that often generates anguish. Training is more than just taking care of your body; It’s about giving your mind a moment of breathing, organization and strength to face the challenges of the day. That’s why I always say: moving your body calms your mind”, he explained.

How to keep your mind healthy
It can be difficult to shield bad feelings during this period. There are situations that we cannot avoid and that we need to face, and that at any time of the year. Faced with complicated contexts, we can reframe some issues to live this moment in a lighter way.

For those who cannot avoid a more complicated encounter, especially during festivals during this period, it is important to respect one another and only stay in the place for as long as necessary for the celebration. In case of conflicts or possible problems in social interactions, it is worth taking a stand and setting limits, even if it is uncomfortable for others.

Those who have more freedom to choose where to celebrate these dates can spend time with loved ones, in person or virtually, or create other rituals for these holidays, such as helping a social project or starting a new self-care habit.

Meditation or mindfulness techniques can help a lot, especially by focusing on what you are feeling at the moment, regardless of the world happening outside. Mindfulness uses a lot of sensory experimentation to help manage anxiety and stress.

The end of year festivities are important for many people, but nothing stops a person from seeing this period as just another one in a lifetime.

Isadora Araújo is a social psychologist and member of the DF Regional Psychology Council

Where to seek help?
The DF Health Department (SES/DF) reported that Mental Health Care has 18 Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPs), responsible for referrals to support groups and integrative therapies, and 176 Basic Health Units (UBS), for primary care and early identification of symptoms.

There are also specialized outpatient clinics; general hospitals with psychiatric beds for more serious cases; and psychiatric urgency and emergency services for care in critical situations, provided, for example, in 24-hour Emergency Care Units (UPA) and by the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU), calling 192.

The criteria for referral to specialized mental health services are not based on ICD (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems), but based on signs and symptoms of worsening and risk stratification.

To Correio, Fernanda Falcomer, director of Mental Health Services at SES-DF, said that service opportunities will be expanded in 2025. “We will open more services in CAPs and in urgent and emergency mental health care in the Psychosocial Care Network of the DF”, he stated.

By the beginning of 2026, it is planned to implement five more CAPs. Two will be aimed at children and young people (Capsi), in Recanto das Emas and Ceilândia, and another two for full-time treatment of disorders caused by the abuse of alcohol and other drugs (Caps III AD), in Guará and Taguatinga. The fifth unit should be implemented in Gama, with services scheduled to begin in 2025, in the Northern Sector of the region.

To find out the contacts and addresses of these spaces, visit: https://www.saude.df.gov.br/direito-saude-mental.

*Intern under the supervision of Malcia Afonso