"The seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart." - Andy Andrews

Is this a grateful time of year for you or a depressed time of year?

As a therapist and coach, I hear the following statement often at this time of year:

"I bet you see a lot of depressed people this time of year."

Well, yes and no.

The depressed time of year?

Somehow it has seeped into our culture as common wisdom that there are a whole lot of depressed people during the holidays. To some extent, this is true. It can be a tough time of year for those that have suffered recent losses or changes, or people that are apart from their loved ones.

The interesting thing is that I tend to see more people struggling with sadness and depression after the holidays than I do during the holidays.

It makes sense when you think about it - all the hoopla and excitement of the holidays is now over and it's back to real life. It's cold and now you have to pay holiday bills.

Gratitude beats depression

I believe that gratitude beats depression every time. It's like the childhood game Rock-Paper-Scissors - Rock always bests Scissors, Scissors always beats Paper, and Paper always beats Rock.

And so it is - Gratitude always beats Sadness and Depression.

Jeff Herring

Jeff is a marriage and family therapist, singles and relationship coach, mentor coach, speaker, syndicated relationship columnist and author.

Jeff has a full time private practice in Tallahassee in which he specializes in couples, teen and parent counseling. He also is a relationship coach specializing in working with couples and singles. Some of his professional activities include:

==> Internationally syndicated relationship columnist through Knight-Ridder/Tribune Media Services, with a weekly readership of over 10 million worldwide

==> Sought after speaker for organizations, associations, churches, and corporations

==>Twice weekly appearances on The Steve and Sara Show on Magic 107.1

==> Author of "Keep the Changes: 52 Tools for Successful Living" a collection of his best columns, as well as several e-books including "How to Create a Passionate and Loving Relationship.........Forever," "How to Beat the BOZOs: Dealing with difficult people without becoming one," and "Tame Your Teen: THE survival guide for parenting your teenager.

==> Founder and CEO of TheArticleGuy.com

==> Founder and CEO of SecretsofGreatRelationships.com

==> Founder and CEO of ParentingYourTeeanger.com

==> Founder and CEO of ToolsforSuccessfulLiving.com

==> President of BuildingYourIdealPractice.com

==> President of ConsciousDatingTallahassee.com