The Post Holiday Bounce Back

You’re feeling it, the holiday shenanigans and excitement have all but stopped. It’s quiet, it’s bare (why does my house look so empty now that all the decorations have been taken down, it’s the same exact house as it was pre-holiday??), you’ve returned to work, the kids are back at school. You may have emotionally crashed or perhaps you’re feeling better given the aforementioned school situation? Regardless of how you, individually, are experiencing the post holiday transition, it is in fact, a transition. It’s an adjustment to go from holiday mode (more social obligations, less work, or vice versa) back to your normal line up of work, school drop offs, taco nights, and far too few cookies. So what can be done? Well, I’m glad you asked, friend! See below for some tactics and strategies to get you back into the groove and maybe, just maybe, improve on what used to be your norm.

 

1. Move your body. I know I know, I think I say this in almost every post/blog, but there’s merit in getting up and moving your limbs again. It doesn’t have to be with crossfit intensity or particularly graceful, it just needs to be a slight step up from the state of holiday comatose you’ve found yourself growing accustomed to over the last couple of months.
2. Schedule (and by schedule, I mean actually put it in your calendar) in time for yourself. In the midst of catching up after time off – returning emails, phone calls, attending meetings – it can be easy to fall back into an already ingrained pattern of putting yourself on the back burner. Resist!
3. Provide yourself with something to look forward to and put it on the books so it actually happens. Maybe it’s a trip in a couple of months. Maybe it’s looking forward to Valentine’s Day and the accompanying preparations.
4. Find ways to mimic what you love about the holidays in the everyday. For me, it’s the lights. I love me some Christmas lights. I can’t very well keep Christmas lights up all year long (thanks HOA – LAME!) or leave a tree up in the living room indefinitely (I need that space!). BUT…I could get a smaller, fake tree and string some lights on it (Haha! HOA thwarted!). For you, it could be baking more often (the act of creating is incredibly beneficial for your mental health), incorporating more holiday colors into your decor, having a hot cocoa night each week, scheduling social activities to remain more connected in your community, wearing those holiday socks a little longer (nobody will know but you, I won’t tell if you don’t!). Brainstorm, really think about what it is that you like about the holiday season, and carry it forward with you. Usually, it’s the “feel” of the season that is so enticing and hard to let go of, and no one said you have to let go of that feeling. Cozy up!
5. Look for what you can appreciate about it no longer being the holiday season. Less traffic? Less crowded stores? Less financial expenditure? Less complicated family dynamics to deal with? More relaxed social schedule? The possibilities are there, give it some thought to shift your mindset!

 

Finally, another aspect to consider, given we are out of the holiday season, is that this can be a time that you reframe into a fresh start. You can start making changes to craft your life in such a way that you enjoy getting back to it, rather than dreading it.

 

Take Care,

 

Laura