Jan 2nd………..ugh. What was once a lovely display of holiday lights, shiny wrapping paper with velvet bows, blooming poinsettias and white perfect snow has now become a pile of ripped torn crumpled balls, tangled knots of extension cord wire, bloated bellies and pounding heads and the dirty, cold, frozen residue to be chipped off the windshield at 7 am. Yep – it’s the Post-Holiday Blues……. The above paragraph purposefully exaggerates the image to make a point – that many do experience a true depression following the holidays. The truth is between Thanksgiving and Christmas many of us are living in a haze of anticipatory excitement – family on their way to visits, old friends reconnecting, waiting for the “gift” you are hoping for. The unstructured work weeks, the happiness that seems to be catching from one person to the next – holidays for most can provide a bit of an escape from realty – if only for two weeks or so….the problem is, it is temporary. At some point we must all return to the normal schedule, the empty house and the regular meal times. This can be both welcomed as well as unwanted. The trick is to get ahead of the post-holiday “mood”. Plan something to do with the family. For the month of January, make sure to plan a family get together of some kind – just for the immediate family (you, your husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, kids) – have something to look forward to so that it is not all about what has already passed. Make the most of the “alone” time. Meditate, listen to music, and find a way to decompress from the stimulation that the holidays can give – do something “just for you”. Make a gratitude list Remind yourself of all that you do have rather than focusing on the sadness, perhaps, of things that have passed. Include all the joy that the holiday brought and be grateful you were able to have that time Recreate those feelings What was it about the holidays that was so joyful? If it was seeing old friends, make a commitment to stay in touch with those friends. If it was seeing your family, make a commitment to reach out to them more frequently. So much of the holidays blues are due to the belief that you will not experience that joy or happiness for another 365 days – holiday cheer does not have to only come during the holidays so battle the blues by creating a world where you are meeting that need, whatever it is for you, on a daily rather than yearly basis. Celebrate the day and believe that you can have that peace, joy and happiness whenever you make the choice to!
