Contributed by Irene Watson, MA

Many people worldwide feel the emotional void of the after-holiday blues.  Most people have had vacations over the holidays and must get back to their routine, while others have seen family and friends they only get to see once a year and must now say their good-byes.  Other people re-experience the loss of loved ones during the holidays because they are no longer part of the family festivities, and still, there are others who have felt especially lonely during most of the year, but found warmth and giving and anonymous friendly “hellos” and “happy holidays” that are now long gone.

After the holiday season is over and normal daily routines resume, it is quite common for people to feel sadness, loneliness and anxiety.  Some people have just experienced the most amazing time of their lives over the holidays and they are now feeling guilty or ashamed because they feel mildly depressed and lonely, even though they are with family and friends.

We often hear and read about these kinds of mood fluctuations that occur during the holiday season, but all too often these mood variations are not recognized as readily during the after holiday period.  For most people, feeling blue is only a mild and temporary fluctuation in mood and once daily routines are well established again, the low mood will lift leaving no trace.  For others, support through this time is necessary in order to get back into routine and back into feeling good.

In the year of one of the largest financial falls of our generation coupled with the normal holiday blues that we see every season, a lot of people are feeling especially down with much anxiety over what the New Year will bring.

The financial outlook for the New Year might look scary and dim for some people that might ordinarily be able to easily pull themselves out of the after-holiday slumps.  There are several things people are doing to boost their spirits and make it through the economic mire. 

1.  Don’t let yourself get caught up in the after holiday sales and media monster that will eat you up alive if you are dealing with financial strain.  No sale is a good sale and no price is an amazing price if it leaves you broke and depressed because of low finances.  Realize that you are not alone and the media will continue to project a good economy with enticing advertisements which then misleads you to believe that most people are out there shopping until they are dropping: not true, most of us are feeling the economy punch.

2.  Make a list of your favorite things and figure out what is most important and makes you feel good every day.  Make a decision that you will absolutely be allowed to have this “one thing” through the New Year and beyond.  By allowing yourself to have something you really want every day or every Saturday or whatever works for you, you will begin to feel more power and control over your personal economic crisis.

Neither of the above specific tasks may work for you, but the fundamental idea that changing your perspective will change how you feel is the primary purpose of the exercise.  Finances may not get better for a while, but how you view your circumstance can change right now and this will make all the difference in the quality of daily life.

It is also important to know that you are not alone in feeling the after-holiday blues and talking to a friend or family member about how you are feeling or getting temporary professional support will help you get back on track for the New Year.

Irene Watson, MA,  is author of The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference, and co-editor of The Story that Must Be Told: True Tales of Transformation, and Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers. She is a workshop leader, managing editor of Reader Views, and president of a non-profit Higher Power Foundation. Irene lives next to Barton Creek in Austin, TX, with her husband Robert.