How to recover from holiday stress

Holiday stress and depression is experienced by so many people especially after major holiday seasons like Christmas.

Now that the new year has begun, there are many who are still struggling to recover from an emotionally exhausting season.

Holiday stress can happen due to financial struggles, loneliness, family issues and sometimes, certain holidays can be a trigger for painful memories like the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship.

It’s very common to feel down during certain holiday seasons. To help you cope, you can recover with these five simple tips:

• Set realistic financial goals

A new year is usually ushered in with big goals and resolutions. It gives everyone an opportunity to readjust and improve certain areas like finances or fitness.

Since the holidays can come with a lot of unexpected setbacks, you will need a plan to recover. But, remember that it could actually be more stressful if you try to set some unrealistic goals.

If you’re planning how you will get back on track, make sure your plan is attainable to keep the pressure from overwhelming you even more.

• Plan ahead

Take time to be honest with yourself about what you can and can’t handle. If during the holidays you keep struggling with last minute shopping or you’re constantly committing yourself to plans that you didn’t really want to, you have a chance to change that for a less stressful holiday in future.

See where you could improve and start making changes early.

• Take it one day at a time

Recovering from holiday stress can be a tough thing to do. While everyone is celebrating and reminiscing the fun moments they had with their families or on holiday, you’re stuck feeling a little down and depressed.

Some of the stress might be unavoidable but one step you can take to come back to a healthier mental space is handling one day at a time. You will start appreciating life more which will boost your mood and keep the depressing thoughts away.

Do your best every day and gradually you will start feeling better.

• Accept and offer support

Many people are battling post-holiday worry epically in January. The fun times are suddenly followed by tough responsibilities at the beginning of every year.

A solution for you could be first accepting that you need to reach out to someone in case you’re feeling overwhelmed, then being a support system for someone else going through a similar situation.

You should reach out to a friend and openly communicate your feelings.

You will be surprised to find that you share similar struggles with so many people out there who need someone to talk to.

• Prioritize your ‘me’ time

For you to recover you need to focus on what you want and need. You might have spent so much time trying to make everyone else happy so you deserve to disappear into your world for a minute.

At this point if you force yourself to keep meeting everyone’s expectations, your situation will get worse and you will take a longer time to recover.

Figure out what you enjoy doing whether it’s hitting the gym after work, journaling consistently, taking a break from social media or even taking a solo mini-vacation if you can.