It is natural for many people to feel a little sad when the holiday season ends. After all, the season is filled with fun with friends and family, great holiday meals, and of course, fun gift exchanges. For some people, the post-holiday blues wear off naturally a few days after returning to their normal day-to-day routines that may have changed dramatically during the holiday season. However, some people have more trouble dealing with the return of "real life" and experience depression that just doesn't seem to "go away." Read on to learn three ways to conquer the post-holiday blues on your own and when it is time to seek professional help for lingering post-holiday sadness.
1. Get as Much Sunlight and Full-Spectrum Indoor Light as You Can
The winter solstice was on December 21st of this year, and this means that that day was the shortest of the year. However, even before the solstice occurred, daylight hours gradually became shorter and shorter and, in addition, the annual "fall back" of the clocks led to even shorter days.
What does this mean for you? While you may have been too busy gift shopping, planning those holiday parties, and attending holiday events to get "the blues" that often come with short days and limited sun exposure, they may now finally be "kicking in" now that the holiday hustle and bustle is over. Lack of sunlight can trigger depression; when sunlight hits your eyes, it causes your brain to secrete many "feel good' hormones, including serotonin. In addition, when your skin is exposed to the sun, your body creates vitamin D, which supports good mental health.
To help combat depression triggered by lack of sunlight, start getting up a little earlier each morning and taking a long walk in the sun or taking a walk during your work or school lunch break on sunny days.
If you live in an area of the country that tends to be overcast much of the winter, you may want to invest in a SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) light box that projects full-spectrum light that mimics the natural rays of the sun. You can set it next to your computer to turn on when you are checking your email in the morning or on the kitchen table when you are drinking that morning cup of coffee and reading the local newspaper.
Full-spectrum traditional light bulbs are also available today, and you can use them in place of standard light bulbs right in your home to give you a mood boost every time you turn them on.
2. Look Forward Not Backward
While getting more sunlight can help ease your post-holiday blues, it will be more difficult to conquer them if you are ruminating over all of the events in your life that occurred in 2016 that you consider "bad." To keep your mind focused on what you would like to accomplish during the new year and away from rehashing what you may not have accomplished last year or other events that occurred during the last year that you don't feel happy about, psychologist Susan Battley recommends setting three lofty goals for the new year and keeping your mind focused on the steps it will take you to achieve them.
Write down not only those goals, but also step-by-step plans on how you will meet them. When thoughts of "what went wrong" last year pop in your mind, replace that thought with what you can do to improve your life during the new year.
When To Seek Professional Help for your Post-Holiday Blues
While both of the above tips can help if you are just feeling a bit down, it is important to seek help from a counselor if you are experiencing the signs of depression. In general, mental health experts advise that "the blues" are more than just the blues, but instead actually clinical depression when they linger for longer than two weeks. If your post-holiday blues linger longer than this, then seeking help from a counselor can help you overcome them.
However, you don't have to wait until you have been feeling down for two weeks to reach out for help from a counselor. In fact, if you are feeling suicidal, you need to seek help immediately. If you are suicidal, call a suicide hotline or seek help at a local emergency room. The staff can help you immediately and then connect you with a local counselor for the ongoing mental support you will need to begin to "feel like yourself" again.
The post-holiday blues are common, and try these two tricks to stop them in their tracks if you are just feeling a bit down. However, don't be afraid to reach out to a counselor immediately if you feel like you need the help of a professional to conquer those "bad feelings" more quickly. If your symptoms linger longer than two weeks or are feeling suicidal, then realize that you are likely experiencing clinical depression and you need the help of a professional to help you overcome it.
