Coping with Post-Holiday Depression

The months of November and December are so hectic. We have endless lists of tasks to complete from shopping, cooking, baking, buying and wrapping gifts to decorating. As we are doing these chores many of us are dreaming of the time when it is all finish and we can rest. But sometimes, something other than rest occurs, sometimes, some of us, starts feeling blue and depressed.

Many people live in the states that have real winter, cold, snow and the ice. Plus we have shorter days and less sun light. Mix the weather in with the fizzle of the holiday magic that has passed and it is no wonder people gets depressed. But there are many ways we can fight these blues, little steps we can take, besides counting down the days to the first day of spring.

First, begin thinking about new goals. What kind of things would you like to accomplish? Start making those lists. But don’t make the list to hard by putting too many goals on it or by putting impossible tasks on it. Remember you are human. Plus, you don’t want to further depress yourself by making goals you know in the back of your mind that you can never achieve or at least you can’t achieve them in one day, week or month. Don’t make long term goals. Save them for the spring, when you hopefully aren’t as depressed.

Maybe you should start by adding an exercising goal. Again, remember not to make this goal impossible for you to keep. Keep it simple. Say you will exercise three times a week. You will take a walk outside, when the weather permits or maybe take a long stroll inside your nearest mall. Make the exercise goal a fun one to keep. You don’t want to make lists of tedious tasks that you won’t enjoy keeping. Maybe even join a gym or take some type of exercise class. Just get up off your feet, get those endorphins running and try to have some fun.

Of course, you should come up with many ideas of things to do inside. When the temperature is below freezing you probably do not want to be outside. Maybe you can start by going to the bookstore and finding one or two books that sounds interesting to you. Reading is a great way to pass the time. Add a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite throw and you have a night of fun all set.

When you want to do something together with your family, why don’t you dig out a puzzle or some board games? It can be a great way to pass an evening and share some laughter, too. Add some popcorn and the kids may even learn to enjoy something besides those video games. Of course, you can tell them about the old days before video games and computers; they will wonder how we ever survived.

Now if you don’t want to spend all your time just sitting, maybe you could spend a day or two cleaning and organizing those closets. Don’t dwell on those old jeans that may not fit, instead enjoy some of the things you find buried that you use to enjoy wearing or laugh at the items you can’t believe you bought. You can have fun with those closets, if you start with the right attitude. If you are having a bad weight day, you know what those days are, the ones where you feel bloated and nothing fits right, then do not start going through old clothes. It will defeat the purpose of fighting your blues by adding to them.

Of course, you can also start a new hobby, stamp collecting, writing poetry, learning to use the internet, scrap booking or just arranging your pictures into photo alums or adding them to your computer, anything that catches your attention. Hobbies helps keep the mind and the body busy and busy work makes us feel like we are accomplishing things.

Now if your blues turn into something deeper like a serious case of depression, where you want to hide every day and you want every one to leave you alone, every day. Then forget the lists and the new hobbies. Make an appointment with your doctor and discuss this matter. You may not have the blues, you may have a real case of depression that needs to be treated. Don’t let this go, day after day. Take the steps now to get the help you need to rebuild your life.

But if you don’t think you have a real serious case of depression it is all right to give into your blues, once in a while. Take a nice hot bubble bath, wrap up in your favorite robe and watch some television. Just pamper yourself. As long as these days are not every day, they won’t hurt a thing. Then when the next day approaches do something on your list.

Keeping trying every day and eventually, before you know it, winter will be gone and the birds will be singing their spring songs.