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 can be to write down what you want to achieve from the forthcoming year. I find this quite motivating and it usually launches me into a drive to tick off some of the things on my list.
5. Consider a change of job. If it's the thought of going back to your job that's causing you to feel low, then maybe it's time to ask your employer for a change of role and/or workload, or to look for a new job. We spend a large proportion of our life at work so it's important that you can get some enjoyment from what you do rather than seeing it as a particularly long jail sentence.
6. Make a donation to charity. Often, when we're feeling down, it's apt to think about people who are worse off than us. Usually this brings home that our troubles are fairly trifling compared to others, and by making a donation to a charity you will hopefully feel good about yourself and know that you are making a difference. Animal lovers might like to consider a donation to help some of the wonderful species that are threatened with extinction and which rely upon our help.
7. Take up a new hobby. Depression makes you feel like there's nothing that you want to do and the less you do, the more depressed you feel. It's important that you break that cycle. One way to do so is to take up a new hobby. It could be joining a sports club or arts and crafts. Maybe you could try something that you enjoyed as a kid but haven't done for years. If your chosen hobby can be enjoyed with other people, then all the better.
8. Start an exercise regime. Physical exercise combats depression and can be fun. Again, the ideal will be to find an environment where you can exercise with other people.
9. Talk to someone about the cause of your depression. If your low feeling is caused by a relationship that isn't going the way that you'd like, then maybe it's time to address how that relationship can be strengthened. This is not easy and requires a degree of skill and tact. However, improving that relationship may be central to improving how you feel about life. Remember, too, that if things feel really bad, there are health professionals who can help.
10. Listen to inspiring music. Okay, maybe you might want to avoid listening to Leonard Cohen or blues music but there's plenty of up tempo music that can act as a great way to drive away depression. Even better if you can actually get to a concert.
Summary:
Most of us feel slightly blue at the end of a holiday but, for some, it may be a more serious and deep felt malady. It's interesting to note that Christmas is the busiest time of year for the Samaritans, so remember that you're certainly not alone in feeling the way you do.
Hopefully, the tips I've listed will be useful to you and will help to reinvigorate you. Many of us draw our strength and motivation from within but equally we get a lot of spark from people around us, so it's good to try to interact with friends and loved ones. Hopefully, you will blow the blues away and be back on top form in no time at all.