3 Tips To Combat The Holiday Blues
With the holidays coming up, you’re probably feeling so much excitement and joy! Or… maybe you’re not - but you feel like you should be. The pressure to feel happy and grateful during the holiday season can be intense, and it’s not uncommon to actually feel unhappy or emotional during this time.
This is what we call the “holiday blues” - feelings of sadness around the holiday season, which can occur for a multitude of reasons.
The holiday blues might occur due to things like:
Lack of sleep
Extra stress
Falling out of routine
Financial burdens of the season
Excess alcohol consumption or a less-nutritious diet
Having to see people you don’t want to see
Unrealistic expectations
Not having family or friends to celebrate the holidays with
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to these feelings. It can be extremely overwhelming for a lot of people. Add the pressure of feeling like you HAVE to feel happy during the holidays, and it can be unbearable. It’s important to recognize these feelings and allow yourself to feel them. They are valid and it’s okay to feel sad during times when a lot of other people feel happy.
Here are some things you can do to combat the holiday blues:
Get back to the basics
A largely underrated, but super effective, way to ease these feelings is to get back to the basics and find your balance in your everyday wellness. By that, I mean get sufficient and QUALITY sleep, eat nutrient dense foods as much as you can, stay on top of your hydration, and incorporate regular physical activity.
I know that the holidays make it super easy to neglect these. We often forget because we’re so busy and trying to enjoy ourselves. It’s totally okay to fall off your routine a bit. But, just know that feelings of stress, discomfort, and anxiety will usually subside at least a little bit, when you take care of your most basic wellness.
I’m not saying you need to go to the gym every day, avoid the fun holiday food, and go to sleep at 8pm instead of hanging out with your friends and family. You just need to find a balance to keep yourself healthy and happy while still doing all the fun holiday activities.
2. Prioritize self-care
Even if it’s a full-blown vacation for you during the holiday season, having time for self-care, as mentioned in my last blog, “3 Tips To Keep Up With Your Self-Care During The Holiday Season”, is so important to take care of your mental and emotional wellness.
You don’t need to spend hours or even do anything close to your usual self-care routine, just try to incorporate a few key habits that work best for you. Maybe it’s meditating for 5 minutes in the morning, maybe it’s keeping up with your nightly skincare routine, maybe it’s journaling before bed. By prioritizing even the SMALLEST habit each day, it can make a huge difference in how you feel mentally by keeping you in some sort of routine.
3. Set realistic expectations
We tend to get our hopes up during the holiday season. I’m sure most of us have been through times where we’ve had high hopes for what’s to come during the holidays when visiting with friends and family, and then been let down because we feel like we had better, more exciting years in the past. Whatever makes you feel disappointed or let down during the holidays, make sure you try to remember that every year will be different. It’s important to do our best to not compare previous holidays to each other because every year is going to look different. Things always evolve over time - traditions may change, or people you normally spend the holidays with may not be there anymore.
This is where mindfulness comes in. Work to live in the present moment and enjoy what’s happening NOW. It’s easier said than done, but try to have it in the back of your mind to remind yourself now and again to live in the “now”, and not in the past.
The holiday blues may be inevitable for a lot of people; that’s why it’s SO important to have a plan in place ahead of time. These strategies can help you cope and ease some of the painful feelings you may be experiencing. It’s not a one-size-fits all approach, so make sure you do what works best for you.
*Note: It’s also extremely important to be aware that if these feelings don’t pass after the holidays are over, you should consider seeking help and guidance from a professional, as it may be symptoms of something more.
