The holidays are a time of fun, glittery lights, and anticipation of spending time with family and friends. You also usually get time off work, which helps you relax and start the new year off on the right foot.
Once the holidays are over, however, it’s easy to feel deflated. January starts to feel dark, cold, and unforgiving in much of the country. A post-holiday slump can dampen your spirits and, even worse, turn into depression.
How can you avoid feeling blue after the holidays are over? Consider these tips.
Take Time to Learn from the Previous Year
As we approach the new year, it’s common to reflect on the year that’s passed and how we’ve grown and changed. Maybe there were new additions to your family, changes in your finances, or you might have moved to a new community.
There are a lot of adjustments to make when things change. For example, if you’ve moved to a new town, you probably need to find new providers for your monthly expenses, such as home or renters insurance. Be sure and look for companies that get consistently high comments like Freeway Insurance reviews and call them to get a free quote on new homeowners, renters or auto insurance. You might also need to change your banking information, update your address with the post office, and so on.
How did those changes go? You can look back on how you handled things and make a note of what went well, along with how you can do better if something changes this year.
Use the New Year as a Launching Point for New Habits
Having fun things to look forward to one of the highlights of the holiday season and now that seems to have disappeared. A good way to avoid that is to use the new year to create new habits.
We’re not talking about a New Year’s resolution — those tend to fail before January even ends. Instead, look at small steps you can take to improve your life and focus on each new habit for 30 days.
Consider habits like getting enough sleep, getting more sunshine to boost your mood, and increasing the amount of movement in your life. All of these things can help improve how you feel and help you avoid feeling gloomy or depressed.
Each month you’ll have something new to look forward to, and you’ll enjoy the increased energy and focus you get from your new habits!
Schedule a Slow Return to Work
Walking in to work on a Monday after the holidays can be demoralizing, so consider scheduling your return to the office midweek. That way, you’ll have a few days to adjust to work again, and then you’ll get a weekend.
You can also keep your schedule clear for your first day back so you can block out time to go through emails, reply to urgent matters, and generally remember what it feels like to be in the office. There’s no reason to make it harder on yourself by piling up major projects for day one!
Ditch the January Blahs
January doesn’t have to be a let-down after a fun holiday season. Instead, ease back into work and see the new year as an opportunity to develop new habits and have fun in new ways.
How can you introduce fun into February? Make a plan to do so today!
