Feeling down during the holidays can be tough, especially since you seem so out of step with the world. Everyone else seems to be beaming, ruddy-cheeked, bursting with holiday spirit. You're feeling wretched and exhausted.

But here's something to cheer you up the next time you're stuck in a room of revelers at a holiday party: Plenty of them are probably unhappy too.

"I think a lot of people would say that the holidays are the worst time of the year," says Ken Duckworth, MD, medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. "They're just straight up miserable, and that's not only for people with clinical depression."

So if the family gatherings, the endless parties and the shopping get you down, you're hardly alone. But people with depression—or who have had depression in the past—need to be especially careful when coping with holiday stress. While it might take some conscious effort on your part, you can reduce stress—and maybe even find some holiday joy too. Here are some tips.

• Plan ahead for a stress-free season
• How to give back during tough times
• Everything you need for a happy holiday!

Better information. Better health. WebMD