How to Beat the Post Holiday Blues

The Christmas season is over. Ugh. Now, it’s just cold, snow and credit card bills. Here’s how to get over the slump.

Assess the Damage

Some of us may have done a little too much shopping and now the credit card bills are starting to roll in. It’s OK. We can deal with this. We just need to be real about it. Take out all of your bills and assess the damage by adding everything up. Look at what your minimum balance is on the cards and then add as much as you can to the minimum payment to pay it down a little quicker. If you need serious help, don’t be afraid to ask a money manager or personal banker to help you with a household budget and then stick to it. I had to do this once with my mother after I had some issues when I was younger. Mastercard should know to never give a platinum black card to a 19 year old with a shoe fetish. Even if I sold the shoes I couldn’t have paid off the bill. It sucked for a while, but looking back, it was a tough lesson to learn and overall, it was one I was glad I learned and I’m even happier I asked for help as soon as I did.

Take a Walk

Exercise is one of the best stress busters out there. I remember I was having a problem with some things around work and I just couldn’t take it. I put a note on my desk that said I was out for a while to deal with a “personal issue” and would return shortly. I went home, laced up my shoes, went for a hard three mile run, showered, came back and had a new way of attacking the issue in a far more constructive way than if I had just stayed at work mad trying to deal with it. Now, I’m not saying you have to go for a hard three mile run. Even just taking a brisk walk can get those endorphins going and can help improve your mood. We have a treadmill in our basement and I’ve been walking for about a half an hour every day and then doing about 10 to 20 minutes of planking and stretching afterward and I’ve been sleeping better than I’ve slept in a long time.

Do Some Yoga

Yoga isn’t just some trendy hippie thing. It’s a really great way to calm down. The holiday season is a really fast paced time of the year with shopping and baking and traveling and wrapping and parties and cookie swaps. Many of us (myself included) don’t take the time to just slow down. Yoga is known for an increased sense of well being, peace and serenity, but yoga can also alleviate anxiety, lower blood pressure and stress levels.

Get Back on Track

With the fast paced time of the year, many of us got out of our routines. We don’t get to bed when we used to, we aren’t eating when we’re used to and we aren’t eating what we should be, we aren’t exercising like we should be and that’s when we gain weight, get sick and overall feel yucky. Now, don’t wake up tomorrow swearing you’re not going to smoke, touch a cookie, eat a chip, drink 100 ounces of water and run five miles or you’re going to quit everything. We actually don’t need a new year to make a new start. We get a new start every day we wake up. As you’re slowly getting back on track and into your routine, slowly incorporate new things and make a new normal. I know what I need to do every day here at work, but I make a list just so I don’t forget anything. If you need to make a list to see it and remind yourself to do it, do it.