You have unwrapped all the gifts, recovered from food coma, and uploaded your holiday pics to Instagram. But now that the tree trimming is finished and parties are over, are you feeling down? Days of socializing, cooking, gift shopping, traveling, and tying up loose ends at work can leave anybody wanting for more. That being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that seasonal blues often reach their peak once the holidays are ended.
However unpleasant it may be, these seasonal blues can be overcome with some perspective, lessons learned from the holidays and a little self-care. Here are 6 best ways to kick Post-Christmas Blues.
1. De-clutter
Try to streamline your surroundings. Stop holding on to Christmas decorations. Collect them in a box and keep them back to the attic. It’s not about getting rid of everything but clearing the space for what’s important to you.
2. Embrace healthy habits
Having a workout routine that you stick to can help keep you in shape and reduce stress. Pulling your diet back towards healthy foods will also help pull your mood back. The key is choosing fresh foods low in fat and adding a veggie to every meal.
Observe your water consumption. From eating salty foods to drinking alcohol, pretty much everything you do on Christmas will contribute to dehydration. Start drinking plenty of water every day. It is important to do so as tiredness, lack of energy and headache after Christmas commonly result from dehydration.
3. Expose to the sun
Spend time in natural daylight rather than shutting away under strip lighting. The idea is to adjust to the timing of light and dark after holidays. This can help you fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and boosts your mood (due to the release of endorphins). If you can’t spend your days at the beach, you can still keep some time aside for a half-hour brisk walk.
4. Arrange for some ME-time
The holiday doesn’t have to end and can be used to make positive changes in your life. Do little ME things. Have something nice planned, all for you, to soften the harshness of coming back to reality. This can be as simple as having a pamper session or just seeing good, old friends. It will all help with easing the transition and prove that life after Christmas isn’t all work and chores.
5. Carry Christmas souvenir to work
Carry reminders of Christmas to your workstation. If you’re worried you might have a hard time adjusting to being back at work, having a souvenir around might make that transition a little smoother. Even small, easy-to-pack items like a holiday photograph or your favorite gift can help reduce the sense of being away from your loved ones. Imagining being back in a fun, happy place is often enough to relieve stress and anxiety to combat post-Christmas blues.
6. Revisit your memories
Once you are settled back into your routine, reserve some time to look through all the memories you captured during holidays. Going back through photos and videos from Christmas can evoke a sense of nostalgia, which research shows can enhance your mood. Pick the most memorable moments and frame them for your home or share them on social media. You will soon find out that a picture you took during Christmas can still howl you with laughter.
