Post holiday blues is a normal feeling for many people, especially caregivers.
The gifts have been opened, the decorations have been taken down, it’s back to our “regular”
routine. This could be a time where a sense of sadness or depression may set in. The beginning
of a new year comes with the ability to set new goals and resolutions. But, just the thought of
these goals or resolutions can sometimes be the actual cause of further stress. This year, let
these resolutions help pull you out of any doldrums that either the holidays or post holidays
may have caused. Here are some ideas from an article on Wikihow (How to Cope With Post
Holiday Syndrome) that could prove helpful:
Be gentle on yourself with respect to your New Year’s Resolutions. If you set the bar too high and you already feel as if you are slipping, don’t berate yourself. Instead, look at your resolutions realistically and assess whether they need some tweaking to ensure that they are achievable.
Discard the resolutions that required you to be too harsh on yourself and reform them into
ones that can be met now that the heady atmosphere of New Year’s Eve is behind you. Think of
it as a double checking of the details, and simply fiddle with the fine print!
- Ensure that any goals you’ve set are reasonable and, most importantly, achievable.
Taking weight loss as an example, targeting for a size zero is unrealistic, but looking for a one
pound loss in a span of week seems to be more achievable. - Continue spending time around people (or make the effort to do this more). Some of the
post-holiday season blues might be related to having been around many people over the
Christmas break and then suddenly finding yourself surrounded by people you don’t know that
well, or even not by many people at all. Lift your spirits by continuing to stay connected with
friends and family, and getting out and about to do activities where other people interact with
you. - Do things that give you cause to look forward to something. Revive the excitement of
anticipation by arranging fun activities, such as having dinner with friends, starting a new class
for a hobby or interest, attending a sporting event regularly, going to the movies, etc. Choose
activities that meet your budget and interests, and that you know will give you a thrill. - Make healthy choices. After the many indulgences over the holiday period, it can leave you
feeling a little out of shape and worse for wear in the nutrition department. Aim to return to
eating healthy food, drinking healthy drinks, and ensuring that you keep getting a good amount
of exercise. Eating well and keeping up regular exercise will enhance your mood and help you
return to good shape and fitness levels. - If you are worried about not keeping warm enough during the colder weather, have more healthy chunky, warming soups that will both warm and fill you up without carrying lots of calories. Warm salads are also an excellent choice during winter.
- Eat away your blues. Eat foods that boost your serotonin (feel good) neurotransmitters. Suitable foods containing tryptophan (the building block for serotonin) include bananas, poultry, dairy produce, and peas. [5]
- Keep exercising no matter the weather, lethargy and weight excuses. Exercise will give you the mood-boost you need and gets you moving again. If you are living in a cold climate, there are plenty of winter exercising options such as walking, skiing, and gym workouts. You could also stay inside and exercise on an indoor exercise bike if you have one. For those in a hot climate, swimming, hiking, and water sports are ideal mood lifters.
- Make this a time for getting professional help and turning around things that have been bothering you. The holiday season tends to put a hold on pressing issues at work and in your personal life because the celebrations, meet-ups, and preparations require your foremost attention. Once this busy-ness dies down, you are returned to thinking about your general life issues and this might just be a good time to get help from the professionals, be it for anything from sorting out your finances, redecorating your home, or dealing with the unhappy feelings you are experiencing.
- If you didn’t plan too well for the holidays and find yourself deep down in the debt rack, get financial advice immediately and start to sort out the finances sooner rather than later. It might reduce the indulgences for now but this is probably the best time to feel the least deprived about indulgences!
If the “blues” is a feeling that is persistent and not just post-holiday let-down, please talk to
trusted family members and/or loved ones about it and reach out for professional help. You are
certainly not alone in these types of thoughts and being able to talk about it with someone else
can really help.
Here is the full article from WikiHow if you would like to read it
https://www.wikihow.com/Cope-With-Post-Holiday-Syndrome.
Here are some resources for possible depression: https://www.crisistextline.org/depression,
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/, National Alliance on Mental Illness Hotline 800-950-
6264.
