I was going to title this post “Beating the Post-Holiday Blues” but then I realized that my whole point is that I’m trying to beat them. And if I’m feeling this way, I suspect at least one other person out there is as well.
New Year’s Eve has never been one of my favorite holidays. I’ve had a mix of duds – like the year my mother had us celebrate as a family by watching a Rex Humbard special so we could celebrate the new year with a hug and a prayer. It turns out that we were actually watching a pre-recorded Rex Humbard special that had no relevance to New Year’s Eve. I think we discovered sometime around 12:15.
Apparently the same thing happened when we went to celebrate as a family at the local bowling alley. While I’m sure the late night bowling was fun (I have no recollection of this New Year’s Eve – I think I mentally blocked it out), midnight came and went without so much as a “Bowlers, please hold your balls as we approach midnight.”
Most of the time, I just celebrate casually with friends and some good Champagne. I’ve never done the fancy-couple-pay-hundreds-of-dollars-for-a-single-night-out thing. I think in my 20s I would have loved the chance to do this even once. But now, I’m perfectly content to watch everyone else freeze their arses off in Times Square from the comfort of my own home.
The evening goes well with a toast and a kiss and off to bed shortly thereafter. And the next morning, provided I haven’t had too much Champagne, I start easing into the new year.
I don’t start it with a sense of earnestness or that It’s a New Year and things are going to be DIFFERENT! kind of feeling. It’s just another day and as the days start pushing into the new year, that same feeling inevitably creeps up.
Now what?
I see the end of the year as the finish line. Phew. We made it. We covered all four seasons, everyone had a birthday, our work is done for the year.
And then it starts all over again. I’m back at the starting line and I don’t know how long this race is going to be or even how hard it’s going to be. Will there be more uphills than downhills? Will there be a test? Am I properly conditioned for this race?
I don’t consciously think of all this. It just creeps up on me until I find myself immobile under the covers wanting to go back to those few days before Christmas where our houses smell like cookies and presents are under the tree in anticipation of one glorious morning and a week of enjoyment before the new year looms in.
It goes deeper than that. And even a little darker, but I’ll save that for my therapist.
Maybe it’s the cold gray weather getting to me. Maybe it’s taking down all the beautiful Christmas decorations that made my house a little cramped but cozy. Maybe it’s all these damn runners talking about their marathons. I guess I’m just a Scrooge when it comes to the new year. But I don’t want to be.
So if you came here because you feel the same, I’m not going to leave you in a sad state of commiseration. I’m trying to put together some ideas to pull me out of this funk. Here goes.
- Plan a vacation. It helps to have some fun to look forward to even if it’s an overnight at Aunt Sally’s and it’s 10 months down the road.
- Rearrange your furniture. Chances are you had to rearrange for your holiday decorations so now’s the time to give your home a refresh.
- Make up some words. No, really. I decided to create some “words” for the year. My plans for the year are to FOCUS and SIMPLIFY. I’m using both of those words to help keep me going.
- Talk a walk. I’m serious. Get on the treadmill or, preferably, get outside. Even gray sunshine is still sunshine.
- Get some alone time. For me, I need to physically get in the car and go someplace by myself. The change of scenery helps change my mood.
- Interact with people. If you’re like me, when you’re in a funk, you like to hide even when your favorite people come around. Go ahead and get together and fake it. And you’ll be surprised at how quickly the fake interactions become real.
- Have a good cry. Maybe you’re not sad or depressed. Maybe you’re just overwhelmed or underwhelmed. It doesn’t matter. An emotional release still helps.
Am I alone here? Have some ideas to shake the post-holiday blues? Please share – and quickly!
19 comments
There are many reasons I’m feeling completely overwhelmed and underjoyed at the beginning of this year, and will also save those reasons for the therapist.
I love your list, though, and I will refer to it as I try to dig out of the funkiness!
I’m sorry you feel this way but I’m happy to commiserate!
Exercising does help me to shake a funk. Though I have to remind myself of that or I won’t get off the couch. Being outside helps. Doing something different helps(anything to change the routine).
It’s that catch-22, though. I don’t want to move because I’m in a funk. But moving would help get me OUT of the funk. It did help having Evan back in school today (finally!).
I’m pretty much the opposite, I am always planning and ready to take on the new year….and the beginning of the school year is where I get my second wind for the year)….but every has days or weeks or months where they are in a funk. I love your list for getting out of one. I’ve used a few of those myself!
I knew there would be somebody. Somebody just perky enough to make me feel like I’m doing this all wrong.
Actually, I talked to my mom about this over the weekend. I think I like the fall/end of the year season because I know cool weather is coming, which feels refreshing to me. I kind of dread the heat and humidity of summer but I guess I don’t have to worry about that for a while!
I’m much like you and prefer to ease into the New Year. I love the idea of a fresh start, though, and I try to do one change or organizational thing in January. Last year I repainted bedrooms and bathrooms. This year I gave away half of our Christmas decorations.
Last year I had better ideas.
Ha! I’m going with my word: SIMPLIFY and going through every square inch of my house and purging, Like REALLY purging and that right there is helping lift my load.
I find that listing at least three things for which I’m grateful often helps pave the way back to joy. It is a counter-intuitive effort, for sure {she says, remembering too clearly that sense of overwhelming sadness, eyes downcast, ruefully kicking the dirt, face settled into frown and a heavy gloom weighing on her heart, peevishly thinking that gratitude is the absolute LAST thing she wants to consider.}
My hubbie will gently encourage me at times like this to focus on the good and find the joy right where I am, which is both sweet and annoying, because it’s what I write about.
Gratitude packs an incredibly powerful punch if we are willing to open our hearts and minds to it. I’ve written a free ebook about it, which is available on my site. Come on over!
Kim – sometimes I take things one day at a time and sometimes I literally take them one moment at a time. Sitting in the sunroom, petting my kitty, sipping on some hot tea can be the thing in that moment that makes me grateful.
I often get angry at myself for feeling this way because I have a global perspective. I get how lucky, fortunate, amazing my life is. But sometimes, it’s all a bit overwhelming. It’s why I’m working on two things this year: FOCUS and SIMPLIFY. And maybe that will help me out of this funk!
I hear you on that. What is it about sitting in a room you love with the sun streaming on you, a beloved pet in your lap, and a warm beverage in your hands that is such a healing balm? Ahhh, I am more at peace just envisioning this!
I feel kinda the same to be honest. I wish I could be more into the new years positivity and managing to get so much stuff done! Maybe as I haven’t really had much of a break over the xmas season, I think if i could just get a couple of days to relax and recharge I would totally be feeling the New Years thing a lot more!
I wish that was my problem, Anna. I think I had too much time to do nothing. As much as I hate structure in my life, I find that I am more productive when I have to fit into a routine. It’s why I’m trying to get back into the swing of things but maybe YOU need some time to yourself to stop, take a break, and regroup. Even if it’s just a quiet hour at Starbucks 🙂
Right there with ya…. I always hate January. December is cold and overscheduled, but it’s cold and overscheduled and there are HOLIDAYS! January is just cold and overscheduled and… nothing. Blah. But spring will be here soon. 🙂
That’s what I’m talking about. The holidays are like a celebration of Look! We made it! Now we’re just back to the beginning to do it all over again. Luckily, I scheduled a vacation for the first week in February. Take THAT, 2014!
Yes! Finally someone understands! I am having a very hard time getting myself into gear since the new year. I hope it passes soon. I’m sure the weather isn’t helping me any.
I don’t know about you but the cold, rainy day we’re having today isn’t helping. My week got a little better but the motivation is still slow in coming!
Girl I am with you. Definitely sliding into this new year without much fanfare. I am even one of those runners doing a half in Feb, and I can BARELY get myself out the door! For me, it’s the lack of routine that makes things go south. This is the first real week where the kids go back to school and day 2 had a delay! I know other had/have it much worse but I was finally ready to start the year and then bam. Gone. So, I am trying to just take it as it comes and remember my vitamin D.
I actually thought of you when I wrote this post. I remember reading your posts on Facebook thinking you were all BRING IT 2014 and I admired that. But it’s just not me. Nice to know you’re really trying to just push through it. And getting outside IS important!