How to Beat the Post Holiday Blues and Anxiety

The holidays are, without a doubt, the most stressful time of the year.

Between all of the gift buying, the hosting of family, the traveling, the cooking, the cleaning,

dealing with a dozen different temperaments all at once and trying to keep the peace between

them all, it’s no wonder that people’s stress and anxiety levels spike between Halloween and

New Year’s.

Even when you’re glad to be traveling and visiting with your family and friends, there is a lot

of pressure to make the holidays a perfect experience and, if you’re not careful, all of that

stress can do some real damage.

Here are a few tips to help you beat the stresses both leading up to and dealing with the let

down after the holidays.

Talk to a Doctor

There’s normal stress and anxiety, then there is excessive stress and anxiety.

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder or other mental health issues, it’s good to talk to your

doctor about whether or not you might need medication to help you keep the anxiety at bay.

Many of us joke about needing Xanax, but the truth is that any anti-anxiety medication you

take should be carefully monitored by a doctor and you shouldn’t simply pop one because it

is offered to you.

Xanax and other benzodiazepines are habit forming and withdrawal can be painful.

It can even be deadly. 

If you don’t suffer from anxiety disorders and your doctor decides that you don’t need

prescription strength stress relief, try to stay calm.

There are a lot of natural methods that you can use to help combat and relieve stress

during the holiday season and their aftermath.

Here are a few of them.

Exercise

Working out is good for your body (and will help you feel less guilty about indulging in all of

those holiday treats!) and fantastic for reducing your stress levels.

You don’t have to join a gym or buy any expensive equipment.

Even twenty minutes of dancing around to fast music each day can be helpful.

If you want more structure, there are lots of workout apps out there that will guide you through

a variety of exercises that you can do in your living room.

Of course, exercise is also a great excuse for getting out of the house and getting some time to

yourself, which brings us to…

Time Alone

You might feel like you can’t afford to take time for yourself until the kids are back in school

but trust me, you need some “me time” if you are going to stay sane.

You can use this time to exercise (which we’ve already talked about) or read a magazine or listen

to music or any other sort of calming activity you like (but try to stay away from drugs or alcohol).

Even if it’s just fifteen to twenty minutes a day (you can break these up into smaller chunks if you

need to), you need some quiet time just to yourself so that you can decompress.

Breathing

When you feel your stress level start to rise, take a great big slow and deep breath.

Breathe in through your nose and take in as much air as possible.

Then blow the air out of your mouth slowly, like you’re blowing through a straw.

Do this a couple of times and you’ll feel your pulse slow and the stress should start to at least

slightly ebb away.

The great thing about this technique is that you can do it any where at any time!

It is a great technique for when you start to feel stressed but can’t get away from the stressor

for a while.

Finally, remember that this won’t last forever.

The holidays are always stressful and you’ve gotten through them every year so far, right?

You’ll get through this one too.

We promise!

Have you experienced post holiday blues and anxiety?

How do you beat post holiday blues and anxiety?

Share your tips, thoughts and comments with us.

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