The holiday season can bring with it joy, excitement, relaxing moments, time off from work and socializing events to catch up with friends and family. All these activities make this time of the year a favourite for some people. However, rushing from one activity to another can be tiring and one may look forward to getting back to the “normal” routine. Nonetheless, it is also common that people experience post-holiday blues. This refers to those feelings of sadness following the holiday period. One may experience a dip in their mood following all the excitement of the holidays where it may seem that life has now become dull with nothing to look forward to. The following are 8 ways to help you beat those post-holiday blues.
1. Healthy nutrition
During the holidays most people tend to indulge in larger amounts of food due to number of events one attends which will all usually involve food and drinks. Typical festive food will involve higher amounts of fat, sugar and carbohydrates. Try to focus on developing healthier eating habits including protein, fruit and vegetables in your diet. This could be a time to try new healthy recipes.
2. Physical activity
This point ties in with the previous one. After the holidays, one may feel more motivated to engage in physical activity and to burn off the excess weight gained. Although this is positive, try to not let the motivation die quickly and incorporate doing exercise in your daily routine.
3. New hobby
The period after the festivities may be a perfect time to start looking into developing a new hobby as you are probably feeling bored. If you have nothing to look forward to, create the excitement of starting something new in your life. This anticipation can help alleviate the feelings of sadness.
4. Plan a meet up
When people meet up during the holidays it is common to tell each other “let’s do this more often” and then it seems that a long time has to pass until you meet again. Be proactive and invite your friends and family to meet and do something nice together. This could involve going on a picnic, a hike, planning a games night or movie night.
5. Go on vacation
What better way to beat post-holiday blues than going on a trip? If this is something you can do, be spontaneous and find a destination where you can go for a weekend. You might want to go somewhere where the climate is cold or warm depends what you like. This will provide you with the opportunity to plan an adventure and be excited that something interesting will happen soon.
6. Spring cleaning
This may not be as exciting as the previous point however, spring cleaning may help you feel better that you are organizing the house and utilising your space better. As they say ‘out with the old, in with the new’. You may create some space in your wardrobe and remove items from your cupboards that you are not using. You can recycle items, re-use them or donate them. You may want to refurbish by painting some walls or moving furniture around to give your place a different look.
7. Rest
After a busy time, why not invest in restoring your energy? If you do not have anything to do in the weekends, take time to relax by reading book, going for a leisurely walk or spend time in nature. Try to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep.
8. Volunteer
This is a way to help you feel good by giving something back to the community. If you are feeling low, volunteering can be the key and something you may keep up during the year. Find a cause you are passionate about and get involved with it.
If you think that you can benefit from professional support on this issue you can reach out here.
Dr Marilyn Muscat is registered as an Educational Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council in the United Kingdom where she trained. She works with children, adolescents and their families to understand more about educational, social and emotional well-being concerns that they have and to help them improve upon their difficulties. She can be contacted on marilyn@willingness.com.mt or call us on 79291817.