Translation: Yes, the holidays can be basically one giant Instagram filter.

If you can’t get out of a dreaded social event, Dr. Orloff suggests keeping your appearance short. Before the gathering, identify your emotional triggers along with the people who tend to drain your energy. This can give you a better sense of direction once you walk into the room, so you’re able to strategically plan those “bathroom breaks” when you’re really meditating or texting a friend.

Create your own happiness

Only once you’ve found the source of your sadness can you reasonably find joy, according to Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. Negative emotions are tools that guide you to feel better. Ask yourself pointed questions, like: “Given that I feel this negative emotion, are there ways I can do something in my own circumstance that can make me feel better?”

For example: If the holidays remind you of a family member who has died, Ms. Rubin suggests deciding whether it feels more comforting to honor that person with a tradition you once shared, or to break free from the past. Or, let’s say you haven’t received invitations to events and feel left out. Create your own and invite only those whose company you enjoy, or plan an office party to lift morale, Ms. Rubin said. Take the pressure off by focusing on connecting with friends or family, as opposed to following traditions of the holidays. If you feel guilty about abstaining from festivities altogether, Ms. Rubin suggested making a list of five priorities you can accomplish to give your holiday season purpose in a way that feels meaningful to you.

“In my observation, it’s helpful to try to be as specific as possible about why you’re having negative emotions. If you’re sad because you want to make friends, going to a holiday party would be helpful,” Ms. Rubin said.

Research from the scientific journal Nature Communications found that performing acts of generosity stimulate the reward system in the brain, brightening not only your day, but someone else’s, too. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate funds and resources to a homeless shelter or buy lunch for a friend just because, Dr. Orloff suggests. You never know who you’ll meet, or what sort of positive emotions you’ll find along the way.

Find the family that suits you

Lane Moore, author of “How to Be Alone,” warns that holiday alone time can feel “infinitely more painful” than your everyday solitude, since it can stoke the feeling that one doesn’t have the family one is “supposed to have.” If you don’t come from a typical family structure, realize that families that look perfect from the outside all experience their own set of struggles, she said.

Physical loneliness over the holidays doesn’t preclude you from finding emotional support elsewhere. Create your own temporary family on message boards or social media comprising folks in similar situations. Ms. Moore said she finds it cathartic to share her own experiences with loneliness over the holidays on Twitter. In response, she receives an influx of messages from followers in similar situations. You might just find that shared loneliness negates the loneliness altogether.