| The tree is taken down, the ornaments back in their boxes,
and visitors have returned home. No matter if you love or dread the
holidays, it is an abrupt transition back to the “real world;”
a relief for some and marked by melancholy for others. Contributing
to the post-holiday blues are the colder weather, shorter days, and
the post-holiday credit card bills. It may take a measure of determination
and a willingness to try something new, but there are many ways we can
avoid the doldrums. |
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- Make the transition more slowly. Leave a few
decorations up, even the tree if you feel like it. Sooner or later
they will become a nuisance and you’ll be ready to put them
away. Set fresh flowers around the house to replace festive decorations.
Play beautiful music. Plan a dinner parties and social outings with
family and friends. If you thoroughly enjoyed the holidays, who
says the fun and festivity have to end?
- Plan ahead for next year. Take inventory of the
holidays and determine what, if anything, was particularly unpleasant
or stressful. Plan to pick up gifts throughout the year instead
of the after-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. Set a budget and stick
to it. Start a new tradition of including family members in holiday
baking chores or bake ahead and freeze the items. Write your plan
down and refer to it throughout the year so you won’t feel
overwhelmed when the holiday season looms.
- Make a plan to work on at least one life goal. The
New Year is a natural time to take stock of our lives. Think about
the things you have always wanted to accomplish but have not. Ask
yourself what your time limit is on NOT accomplishing a particular
life goal; are you prepared to live out your life without achieving
that goal? If you don’t start now, then when? Youngsters dream
about the wonderful things that will happen to them; as we age we
learn that we must contribute greatly to making wonderful things
happen. Learn a second language, save money, lose weight, volunteer
for a charitable organization, quit smoking, start exercising –
whatever the goal, write it down with a plan of action and a timetable
for completion.
- Bundle up and go outside. Staying indoors all
winter can be stuffy and depressing and being outdoors is very rejuvenating.
Jogging may be difficult in winter slush and snow, but taking a
brisk walk is good for the body and the mind. The left-right motion
of walking stimulates the brain and helps clear mental cobwebs.
- Commemorate the holiday season. Develop Christmas
pictures and make a holiday photo album with loved ones; this would
be a great activity to share with your children or grandchildren.
Include notes about the pictures and funny or poignant anecdotes.
Remember the greatest joys you experienced and carry them in your
heart.
Post-holiday blues are fairly common, often fueled by the cold and
dark of winter, the loss of holiday visitors, or financial overload.
But the possibilities of the New Year are endless; it is a matter
of attitude and mindset. Reflect on the festivities, set new goals
and traditions, plan ahead for the next holiday season, get outdoors,
and exercise your body. And in the fullest sense of the words, have
a happy New Year. |