Why Am I Depressed Every Year?

One of the things that I have learned in the many years of living life as a birth mother is that it is normal to be fighting depression at holidays and feeling sad on my adopted son’s birthday.  It doesn’t matter how hard I try to fight it off and overcome the depression and holiday blues. It doesn’t matter how great the rest of my life might be. It doesn’t matter if I consciously even remember. On a cellular level, every year like clockwork, it hits.

The Normality of  Adoption Birthday Sadness

While other people also suffer from the holiday blues, and other life issues to trigger adoption feelings during non-holiday times, a birth mother experiencing painful memories and sadness is normal on an adoptee’s birthday. On the same vein, many adoptees report of feeling sad and uncomfortable on their birthdays as well.

It makes it easier to overcome this depression in some way by understanding that the adoption holiday/birthday depression is normal and to expect it, rather than fight it. Know that it is situational depression and often, will pass with the change of the calendar pages. Know that you are not alone in feeling this way.

Please, though, if you find that you cannot handle fighting this depression, please find professional help!

 Read more about expected feelings of sadness and depression around birthdays and holidays in adoption; click here.