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How to Deal with Post-Holiday Blues

Many of us have a lot to do around the holidays. Shopping, planning, cooking, entertaining, traveling, visiting, opening gifts, doing cards, running errands, and attending special events all conspire to keep us hustling and bustling through most of December.

Once the New Year’s celebrations are complete, the holidays are over, and many people experience a period of sadness or let-down starting on January 2nd. If you are someone who tends to be affected by this, take a look at these ideas for how to skip the post-holiday blues.

Look Ahead

Much of the joy of the holidays is having so many fun events to which to look forward. Once the holidays are over, it can feel kind of boring; like you’re going back to the hum-drum and tedium of daily life. The key to avoiding that feeling is to create things to anticipate with joy. New Year’s resolutions can fit this bill, but you’ll want to be careful about the goals you choose and make sure you have a plan for reaching them, so they don’t become a source of guilt or sadness in themselves. Learn some tips for doing that here: “How to Make New Year’s Resolutions You Will Stick To.”

Get Back Into a Good Sleep Routine

If you missed a lot of sleep during the holiday celebration time, getting back into a good rest routine will help you feel better. Lack of sleep is draining on your body and your mind, and that lends itself to blue feelings. Take some time to relax, recharge, and most importantly, get some extra sleep.

Give Yourself Some Grace

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re feeling a little blue after the holidays are over. It’s a normal feeling that will pass, so be sure to give yourself permission to feel your feelings and move past them.

Most of all, if you believe that your feelings are more than typical blues and are approaching or have reached depression, get some help from your doctor immediately.

Drink Extra Water and Get Outside

It’s possible that you ate and drank more poorly during the holidays than you usually do, and that can contribute to blue feelings, too. Resolve any lingering dehydration by getting plenty of water, and make sure you spend time outside. Being outside in the fresh air and sunshine will automatically help you feel better, and exercise is one of the best relievers of the blues that there is.

Step up Your Destressing Regimen

It’s a new year, so it’s the perfect time to add some fresh routines to your destressing repertoire. Yoga, meditation, positive affirmations, aromatherapy, and new hobbies can all fight the post-holiday blues, so figure out what you’re interested in trying and get started. Don’t worry; if it’s not for you, you can just pick something else to try.

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Disclaimer

Destress.com is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed professional. If you require any medical-related advice, contact your physician promptly. Information at Destress.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. Do not disregard medical advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information on this website or any external links provided on the website. Destress.com is not a counseling or crisis service. The diagnosis and treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders should be performed by health care professionals. If you are suicidal, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), provides access to trained telephone counselors, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week