Breaking Through the Post-holiday Doldrums

Are you feeling a little down right now? All the big festivities are over. For some of you there is some sadness as family members have gone back home to cities far away. If you were the host, the house is a mess and you don’t have the energy to tackle it all. Most of us experience some kind of let down after big holidays. Here are some remedies to help.

Feel your emotions.

First of all, feel your emotions. Tune in to what’s happening in your mind and in your body. Mindfulness experts advise us to say it out loud to yourself: Sad, sad, sad, listless, down, tired, grumpy. Name as many of the emotions as you can identify. And if you need a list, there are plenty of lists out there on the internet. The list can go on and on. Just keep listing them and repeating them to yourself. It’s surprising how well this works.

To give yourself comfort and self-compassion while feeling these difficult emotions, try putting your right hand on the left side of your chest, over your heart. Just feel into it for a few seconds. Also, if you are open to it, get out some paper or a journal. Write down what you’re feeling. This helps you increase your tolerance to being present to strong emotions.

Negative thoughts are a real part of life and very normal. We often walk around so busy that we never really feel them. Disconnection from your inner self can have greater negative outcomes in the long run, such as a vague sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction. So take advantage of this post-holiday, non-busy time to connect with yourself.

Do some chores.

After spending some time connecting, see if you have more energy to tackle a few chores. One of my favorite end-of-holiday exercises is cleaning out my refrigerator and getting rid of all the rich foods (that are getting old). I asked myself this morning, Are these oysters still good after 5 days? Probably not! Chances are the overdose of holiday eating—sugar, carbs, and alcohol is playing a role in messing with your emotional and energy system too. So get rid of the things you no longer want to eat. Close up the wine bottles. Clean up your car. Do a few easy to confront tasks that will bring more normalcy and freshness to your space.

If you are still struggling with having the motivation to do major and necessary things like taking the Christmas decorations down—that’s my most dreaded part—then make a list of the things that you are willing to do today. A little laundry always lifts my spirits. It takes little mental capacity and brings me lots of satisfaction. When I can’t seem to face anything else to do, I can always face the laundry. Now, for some of you, that might be one of the worst things to face because you have three kids in sports and the laundry is disgusting—understood! Save it for another day.

So pick something that is more doable like taking out the garbage or opening up the mail or just emptying the dishwasher.

Today I made my list, and before you knew it, I emptied out the old food in the refrigerator, and got the garbage ready for pickup. And that was way more than I thought I could do—one little piece of completion led to energy for the next thing. I even made it to water aerobics!

Look forward.

So move through those normal melancholic feelings and make room for beautiful things ahead!

Elaine

‍