by Simon Wright

Created on: December 30, 2008

You spend half the year looking forward to your holiday and then, all too quickly, the holidays are over and it's time to go back to work. It's hardly surprising therefore that, for some people, this can lead to a case of the post holiday blues. This malaise can occur after any holiday but Christmas is probably the time when this phenomenon is most keenly observed. After all, we're brought up from small kids to regard Christmas as a magical time and it's the one occasion when all the family may meet up.

It's worth pointing out that post holiday depression may result from either a positive or a negative holiday experience. We've all probably, at some point, felt down after returning from a great holiday. You've had several days of working to your own agenda and indulging in the things you love, but now you're back to the daily grind of your job. However, a deeper depression can result from a negative holiday experience. Maybe you've gone home for Christmas and your family have not got on with each other. Perhaps you've eaten too much and put on weight and are suffering from low self esteem as a result. Or maybe Christmas has brought home that you don't have anyone to share your life with. Or maybe you simply had unrealistic expectations about how good your holiday was going to be and have been left feeling flat when it didn't live up to them.

Having identified some of the typical causes of post holiday blues, let's now look at ways to remedy them.

1. Write down a list of all the good things that you did during your holiday. This will help you to realise that you did make the most of your holiday time and should hopefully raise your self esteem. Even if you didn't enjoy Christmas, the chances are that you did some stuff that you're pleased to have achieved. If you enjoyed the holiday, then you might even want to write up a diary of your holiday, to remind yourself of all the great things you did.

2. Book your next holiday. Booking your next holiday will give you something to look forward to, especially if it's the thought of going back to work that's causing you to feel down.

3. Arrange a night out (or in) with friends. Having people that you like around you is a good way to snap you out of depression, especially if you arrange to do something fun. You might make a night of it by going for a meal and then onto the cinema or ice skating or whatever else catches your fancy.

4. Write your new year resolutions. For people suffering from post Christmas blues, a good approach

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