How to Recover After the Holiday

For many the holidays are filled with love, celebration, and good food, but for others it is filled with grief, anxiety, and depression.

Grief - holidays can be a reminder of a loved one that has passed on, a family unto prior to separation, breakup, or divorce, having to face an abuser that has not been held accountable, and the situations continue to vary from one extreme to the other.

Anxiety - Families are wonderfully diverse, and although related by blood, perspective, temperament, and relatability may cause distance.  Having to be in the presence of toxic relatives can weigh heavy on the mental wellbeing of a person.&nbsp

Depression - The holidays can be a stressful time. From shopping, to gatherings, to having extra pressure placed on you. This can make depression much harder to manage. 

Journaling and mediation are so important because they allow us to check-in and gain a deeper perspective on who we are and how we are feeling. It allows us the space and time to really connect with and be honest with ourselves. How you show up, how you are impacted by outside elements, is all determined by the inner work you do. 

Reflect on how you feel, what triggered the emotion, what role you played, and how you can make the proper adjustments moving forward. 

One way to reduce the aftermath of stress/negative emotions is to produce positive emotions. Instead of replaying what went wrong work on creating a gratitude list of all the things (big or small) that you are grateful for in your life. When you shift your focus you are more likely to shift your mood. 

Now it’s most likely cold where you are during the holiday season, but bundle up and go get some fresh air. Fresh air boosts your mood, it improves clarity and your ability to focus, and it increases your energy. You may have to drag yourself out of the bed or off of the couch, and that’s ok. Do whatever you need to do, but get up. 

Music is associated with stress reduction. Listening to a bomb playlist will help to alleviate some of the symptoms caused by stress from the holidays. Make sure the music makes you feel good, please don’t listen to Heartbreak Hotel and think it will improve your mood. What you consume is essential and I might argue that what you consume at a low point is even more important than a typical or happy day. 

This can be easier said than done. Your brain might me going 100 miles per minute, you may feel restless, your need to stay busy to escape it all might kick in…

Take a bath, light a candle, play some soothing sounds/music or a podcast, put your phone on DND, and just escape from the outside world. Rest. 

Give yourself grace during this season, show yourself extra love and care, it may not be easy, but taking care of you is ALWAYS worth it!