Prayer To Overcome “Holiday Blues”

15 Easy Ways To Overcome Post Holiday Blues

Prayer To Overcome “Holiday Blues”

The bills are flying in, you have to get back to school/work, it is still cold and dark outside, and you have taken down all those cheerful Holiday lights. Welcome to post-holiday blues. If you are suffering from them, then this article is for you. Read on to find out how to overcome post holiday blues in 15 easy ways.

1. Take it easy

Avoid getting into work with full force. Do not overdo things or take assignments that stress you out. Allow yourself some time to relax and unwind. If possible, take the first weekend off to go away somewhere and rejuvenate. Alternatively, just relax, read, watch some movies and allow your mind to quiet down.

2. Organize your work

Spend some time analyzing what tasks need your attention on a priority basis. Organize the work from the most important to the least important tasks. You can then start with the simplest tasks and tick them off as you finish. This will help you feel better as your workload diminishes. The same is true for chores at home as well.

3. Avoid excess alcohol

People often turn to alcohol when they feel the post holiday blues coming in. This is the worst thing to do since alcohol further dehydrates the body and throws you deeper into sadness. Instead, drink more water or sip on herbal teas which do not harm the body.

4. Eat mood elevating foods

Many foods provide us with important amino acids that work directly on the endocrine system and stimulate feel good hormones. These include L-tryptophan and L-tryosine amino acids. You can get them through low fat dairy, seafood and fish.

Eat plenty of nuts, seeds and fortified cereals. Make sure you also eat food rich in Vitamin B complex and Magnesium as both are associated with the mood and depression. Avoid all kinds of nutritional deficiencies and eat a nourishing, healthy diet.

5. Focus on good health

Now is the time to implement all those New Year’s Resolutions you have set for yourself. Focus on healthy eating habits. If you have decided to lose weight, now is the time to join the gym or take up any form of exercise. If possible, enlist the help of a friend.

6. Exercise everyday

A brisk walk or jog, cycling for 30 minutes, Yoga or pilates can all help you overcome post holiday blues. Aerobic exercises increase the heart rate and boost feel good hormones which flush out toxins from the lymphatic system.

At work : take a walk during lunch and use the stairs whenever possible. Park further and further away each day. On weekends, opt for activities gardening or house-cleaning which are extremely therapeutic.

Try a zumba or spinning class and increase your activity levels as far as possible.

7. Accept the situation

Instead of wallowing in your pain and depression-accept people and situation for what they are. Embrace all the things you dread-be it office work or cleaning and cooking at home. The faster you accept things, the easier it will be for you to snap the blues.

8. Start a new hobby

A hobby will give you a purpose and there is no better or easier way than this to overcome post holiday blues. Try your hand at growing indoor flowers, learning a new language or simply take an adult education class or cooking. If you have always wanted to write or take a journalism course at the local community college-now is the time to do so.

9. Help others

All wise men say that the best way to beat blues of any kind is to help others in need. Is there an ailing, elderly neighbor who will appreciate your help? Can you volunteer at the local church? May be you could help out your local community youth by coaching them in sports or academics.

10. Follow good sleep patterns

Get to sleep on time at night to ensure getting at least 7 hours every day. Avoid napping in the afternoons if it interferes with your nighttime sleep.

11. Let it go

Avoid recurrent thoughts of how great your life was during the Holidays. Let it go! When you talk and think of it all the time, you are only increasing your anxiety unnecessarily.

When the dark thoughts start, take a walk. Talk to a friend but stay upbeat and positive. Listen to some mood elevating music.

Collect daily affirmations and put them up in a place where you can see them every now and then.

12. Look at the bright side

It is true that those who are always grateful have little time for the blues. So count your blessings. May be someone at work smiled at you or helped you. So say thank you you mean it and count those little moments. A kind word, a laugh at lunch, a phone call from someone you care about-these small human connections go a long way in making the world a better place.

13. Recognize signs of blues

Sometimes, people do not even realize they are depressed.

Learn to recognize little signs: eating and sleeping more, loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness or guilt etc are some common signs of blues. Once you recognize these signs, accept them.

This is the first step in overcoming post holiday blues syndrome. If you feel you need help of a professional, talk to your doctor for a referral.

14. Try herbs and essential oils

Instead of using conventional anxiety medicines with side effects, go for gentle herbal medicines. St.

John’s Wort, Skullcap, oats, kava kava, decaf Green tea, Chamomile, and Lavender teas are known to boost mood. You can also go for aroma-therapeutic massages with mood enhancing essential oils.

Try diffusing oils Lemon oil, Lavender or Frankincense in your room. These are known to relax and calm anxious thoughts.

15. Plan another event

Party with colleagues or friends- just call some of them over for the weekend or start looking forward to Valentine’s Day. You can even send letters or postcards with photographs of your Holiday. This will give you something to do. Include a personal message in each letter or card which people will love.

Finally: Be patient! Post holiday blues are temporary and you will get back on track soon. So, relax in the knowledge that what you are feeling is impermanent. If however, you continue feeling the blues for several weeks, seek help. There may be an underlying deficiency or a medical issue which might be causing your post holiday blues. Do not give it more importance than it has.

Источник: //www.easyways.net/15-easy-ways-overcome-post-holiday-blues/

12 tips to overcome the post-holiday blues

Prayer To Overcome “Holiday Blues”

Have you ever suffered from the post-holiday blues or post-vacation blues? When summer is drawing to an end, the media comment about the post-vacation or post-holiday blues, syndrome, depression or stress. But they do not agree on the statistics about how many people are affected.

Let’s look into what this syndrome is about, who is more prone to it and some tips to overcome it.

What is the post-holiday blues?

The post-holiday syndrome or stress can be suffered when encountering after the holidays the return to the routine of work, school, domestic and family obligations. When a person fails in the process of adaptation, he or she can feel a elevated level of stress as well as physical and psychic discomfort. However, it is usually a passing syndrome during the first week of work.

Symptoms of the post-holiday blues

The physical symptoms can be tiredness, fatigue, a sense of sleep deprivation, lack of focus or appetite and even muscular pains.

Regarding psychic symptoms you may feel restless, a lack of interest, listless, irritable or blue.

Who is prone to suffer from the post-holiday blues?

People who do not their job or kids who do not enjoy school are more ly to suffer from post-holiday stress. If you know you will encounter for example a bad atmosphere, tasks that bore you or you do not , there are more possibilities of slipping into post-holiday stress or depression.

1. Be resilient and positive

If you your job, you will less ly suffer from the post-holiday syndrome. But if you do not it and it seems a burden to you, it can be more difficult to get your groove on.

In this case, be positive and think what a great time you had on holidays. Think that having a job has allowed you to take them. Resilience helps us overcome adverse situations.

And positive thinking helps us not to see everything black and find something good in every situation.

Besides, although we sometimes might think how great eternal holidays would be, when it comes down to it, would you really enjoy them the same? O might it be that leaving the routine behind is what makes us enjoy holiday as much?

2. Do not delay the return from holidays until the last moment

If you have a tendency to suffer from the post-holiday blues, return home one or two days before your holidays end. This will allow you to get back into the routine more softly, have time to unpack your luggage and leave home organised.

3. Return gradually to the routine

If you have been getting up and going to bed late, start some days prior to your return to work to normalise your sleeping pattern. Get up early and go to bed at the hour you would when working. If you to take naps, reduce them to no more than half an hour. Or organise activities so as not to nap around noon.

Get back to the routine as well with the mealtimes.

4. Tackle work progressively and get organised

Back to your workplace, take your time to review the issues left unresolved before your leave. Check your agenda to see what expects you in the next days and weeks.

If you did not prepare it before leaving on holidays, write down all meetings and commitments which need preparation. Review and sort your emails. Eliminate spam. Take notes of the tasks.

Then reply to the emails that do not require more than one or two minutes.

So as not to feel overwhelmed by work left undone before you went on holidays and work accumulated during your absence, it is important that you prioritise the tasks and organise a work agenda. Remember that you do not have to get everything done on the first day.

Then choose the task you want to start with, being ideally the easiest or most gratifying.

Also take time to greet your work colleagues and tell each other about your holidays. Or arrange to meet for lunch to get up to date. Same as when returning to school, seeing your colleagues again will lift your spirits. But do not allow yourself to waste hours and hours with chitchat.

5. Be assertive and set limits

Do not let yourself get bombarded with urgencies from minute one. Learn to draw the line and tell your colleague assertively that you are settling in. Ideally tell him/her to send you an e-mail with the request so you may reply at your own pace.

If not, ask them directly for when they really need what they are asking for and put it onto your task list. Avoid the temptation of doing the task immediately, in order to get rid of it, if it is not indispensable. Also, assess whether you are the appropriate person for the task or your colleague should ask somebody else.

In that case, say that you cannot help and indicate the right person.

6. Do not take work home

Although I recommend always avoiding it, especially in the first days after the holidays, do not take work home. Nowadays in many jobs we usually have more tasks than time available. So accept it and prioritise what you work on in order for the day to be productive. Then you will feel you have made the most it.

Do not take work home in your mind either, i.e. do not continue brooding over things when you leave work. Before leaving the office, write down all pending things and issues that are on your mind to clear your head. Tomorrow is a new day.

You may find more tips on this regard in the post “5 simple tricks to disconnect from work”.

7. Stop recurring negative thoughts

Our mind is prone to brood over things that have happened or could happen.

If you catch yourself brooding over negative, irrational or even depressing thoughts “I want to continue on holidays”, “I would be so much better at the beach”, “I hate my job”, “My boss is getting on my nerves” and so on and so forth, stop them.

They will absorb you into a spiral of discomfort, lack of control and anxiety. Become aware that those are unrealistic and somewhat extreme thoughts and that you will not achieve anything positive from this type of internal dialogue.

8. Practice relaxation

Take regular breaks and do relaxation exercises. Breath calmly during a couple of minutes. Or maybe take a short walk concentrating on the sensation of your feet touching the ground. This will help you connect body and mind, focusing your thoughts on the present moment, which will reduce stress and anxiety.

9. Organise fun activities

In order to make the most your free time, and the same as you do with work projects and tasks, organise fun activities. Look for plans in your town that will help you disconnect from the routine.

Get into touch with family and friends you have not seen during the holidays. Both the activities in themselves as the fact of starting to organise and prepare them will relax you and lift your spirits.

Pixabay.com

10. Do something for your health

If you are sporty, you will have continued with a certain routine during the holidays. Those of us who are not that into sports, might not have done much more than taking a walk and splashing about the water. But remember that physical exercise releases endorphins which produce a feeling of well-being and even happiness.

In case the post-holiday syndrome has spoiled your appetite, physical exercise will also be beneficial. Taking care of our body with exercise also seems to lead to healthier eating habits.

11. Be patient and nice to yourself

Remember that the post-holiday syndrome usually passes. It is a question of getting back into the routine and having a resilient and positive attitude. So do not resent yourself if you feel blue in the first days.

If the symptoms do not disappear after a few days, consider whether the stress could have other more profound causes and go to a specialist for advice.

12. Divide the days off

As a last advice, I recommend that, insofar as possible, you distribute your holidays over the year instead of taking everything in summer.

Having many weeks in a row off may lead to you having a harder time returning to the work routine. Whereas taking off a longer weekend or week now and then throughout the year, will give you more periods of disconnection.

Also, you will feel thrilled thinking about the days off awaiting you and organising fun getaways more often.

Источник: //www.thecornerofexcellence.com/en/tips-overcome-post-holiday-blues/

The Secret to Overcoming the Holiday Blues: Gratitude – IHOPKC Blog

Prayer To Overcome “Holiday Blues”

I am not sure at what age it began, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was around 13 or 14. And though my time frame is uncertain, the feeling of life with depression is clear. I can best describe it as a deep, piercing, long-lasting, body-aching sadness, a heavy, often-present gray cloud looming over my mind, will, and emotions.

From the age of five I had been involved in competitive swimming and I was active in sports until I graduated from high school. But as my commitment to sports waned and without my knowing the connection, my depression increased.

Boredom, partying, insecurities, and many broken relationships later may not have been the cause, but they sure did not help. In my mid 20s, my friend Rachel pointed out how much difference she saw in me after I exercised. I realized how valuable a gift this had been for me during those younger years.

I had not been aware of His leading in my life even at such a young age.

Yet however crucial exercise has always been and continues to be, it is all a momentary fix for a pain that would, days after, resurface and persist.

Much the numerous physicians, prescriptions, counselors, and friends that have come and gone, they have all proven to be incomplete for me. There was something lacking and, once discovered, the true path for lasting joy surfaced despite failing emotions.

Perhaps for others in their journey with depression, those docs, scripts, counselors, and friends completed their healing. But that was not the case for me.

I had to learn two invaluable tricks of the Christian trade—first, it is essential to cultivate a heart of gratitude.

And second, to learn to lean not on our own understanding—something you will only be fully able to do as you grow in an understand of the Word of God.

These two gave me a hiatus from depression until one day I realized that I recognized something similar. It was a still voice, a sense of His nearness.

You’re More Real Than the Wind in My Lungs

A light bulb went on one day. I realized that the nearness of God, His voice, His presence, was always with me when I was depressed.

What is that verse again? Oh yeah, “He is near to the broken hearted, binding up their wounds!” What I experienced, or rather WHOM I experienced while I practiced thankfulness or meditating on His Word, was the same Jesus whose still small voice was calling out to me in the midst of my darkness.

The only difference, and what a dreadful difference, is that during those dark nights I had given more credence to my emotions and had chosen to silence Him!

I opted to overlook His presence and worship my own soul’s longings above Him. Such a lecherous heart of mine. You call it a pity party, but what it really is, is self worship of the most insidious kind. If you struggle with depression, you might be able to relate—you know you should turn to Him, but you just don’t “feel” it.

Well, the fact that you even consider Christ as an option is not your own doing! Friend, it is Him. No one understands; no one seeks for God (Romans 3:10).

I had Jesus on the brain, and it was His gentle/vigorous way of drawing me near to Himself.

That is His grace, not some force, but rather He making Himself fully available to both you and me—because it is His most deepest of pleasures to incline Himself to us for our benefit. All so that we might be empowered to glorify Him.

He has not left us orphans. Not for one moment. Not in the pit of despair and not in the anguish of soul. I urge you lay hold of that grace, of the person of Christ, in whatever way you know how and see how, in due season, much the budding of a rose, you too will begin to experience healing in your emotions, will, and your mind even down to your soul.

I am reminded every year around the holidays how much pain I have experienced, the deep loneliness, sorrow, mounds of regret, bitterness, and offense—against Him and His leadership, against myself for my shortcomings, and others for having seemingly forgotten me. For many, the holidays are only reminiscent of that pain—the dark, cold, lonely, bitter days—best left to one single breath in, waiting for a new year to exhale.

Think of the countless who have lost loved ones this year, the strife in our country in both our political and ethnic scenes, the division that seems to haunt the church and all her denominations—this makes it easy to give way to such despair and despondency.

Oh, but friend, all those emotions are secondary to the still small tempestuous voice of God who calls from within: “Come a little closer, my dear, I have mysteries untold for you concerning Myself. Mysteries of such magnitude that in light of them the world and all your sorrows, will but fade to it’s rightful place.

Your love for your own life will dissipate, and you will find rest.”

If you find yourself in this place of worry, sorrow, fear, and depression, as we begin the holiday season, know that it is impossible to remain there if you enter into jubilant thanksgiving filled with the knowledge of who God is.

Don’t you remember? This is the God who is continuously perfecting all things which concern us, that is, all things which concern our desire to glorify Him! That’s what this life is about! You are either grumbling or filled with glorifying gratitude. You choose.

But the latter leads to an internal hope that nothing can snatch away and this, this, is wonderful victory.

The fight for gratitude is crucial, not only to your emotional health, but as Proverbs 17:22 states, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Joy is found in the assurance of His mercy-filled sovereignty to which our only rightful responses are awe and gratitude.

Perhaps you are a person who already has a thankful heart. I believe these suggestions can only strengthen it.

And for one who much me goes through life with the ups and downs of emotions, begin by setting gratitude in place.

Don’t stop with just these, though, but talk to the Holy Spirit, who knows you best, to reveal your next steps. So as you embark on this little journey, allow me to offer three tips that might help along the way.

1. Speak Gratitude

Others might think you’re crazy, but give thanks in all things. I mean it. Open your mouth and thank Him for the flat tire, the leak in the roof. Not because either are great situations but because they have come to expose how little you trust Him. This is the kindness of God saying to you, “Hey, you and I have some mending to do.

And it’s not of your belongings primarily, but of your heart. Your unbelief is making it hard for Me to work in ya, honey, so come on over.” Shout for joy that He is allowing you to be pruned! Feel free to cry in the middle of it, too—keep it real. But keep thanking Him for His wisdom, presence, power, plan, purpose, and ever nearness.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10.23).

2. Muzzle the Ox

If you have some faithful friends you trust and love, ask them to help you keep your tongue. Keep your tongue from evil, that is. Evil is more than saying bad words or slander—yes, those, too, are horrible. But I am speaking of the grumbling. God’s deep displeasure with grumbling is all over the Scriptures.

Words are the signs of ideas—if you speak it, it’s because you have thought it.

When you speak words that are not true—not in agreement with the what He says about Himself, yourself, or about others—you are giving life to death.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Words were the first way in which He made known His power. He spoke and it was.

You and I are made in that image. And in a world where words seemingly have little value and their importance wains, give them their rightful place and use them rightly—to speak life.

3. Look Back

This will be challenging at first, but for me it just began with deep gratitude for clean sheets and drinking water and progressed into thankfulness for the cross, salvation, and the hope that is kept for us in heaven—they are not far from each other (Colossians 1:5). They all have come from His gracious hand.

Gratitude is the response of a heart that leans into the Lord and the doorway into His presence. It is cultivated in daily practice, meditation of HIs Word, and obedience. When you begin, you will recognize that He has been with you through it all and is daily waiting, smiling, for you to start the conversation.

Question: What helps you avoid the holiday blues?

| Pinterest

Источник: //www.ihopkc.org/resources/blog/secret-overcoming-holiday-blues-gratitude/

6 Ways to Beat the Post-Holiday Blues

Prayer To Overcome “Holiday Blues”

Your fridge is filled with week-old leftovers and the cookie bin is still laden with crumbs, reminding you of your guilt-ridden nightly visits. As you look at your overstuffed recycling bin, you sigh heavily. All the excitement is over and the demands of work are starting to pile up again.

But what if you looked at things a little differently? The new year is upon you. It’s a blank canvas to illustrate your life with infinite possibilities ahead. Here are six things you can do to help overcome the post-holiday blues.

1. Take a Junk Food Fast

It seems so logical and perhaps the reason why so many people choose to diet in the new year. Most of the foods people enjoy during the long holiday season include copious amounts of fat and sugar, and if you add alcohol to the mix, you’re in for major bodily changes.

Foods high in sugar rapidly raise your levels of insulin and then promptly lower them leaving you with a crash-and-burn effect. Not to mention that once your body is accustomed to regularly consuming sugar, it craves it more.

The same goes for alcohol, which is also a depressant and will leave you feeling down. To hit the reset button, opt high-fat foods, processed foods, sugary snacks, and alcohol for the month of January and see how you feel.

Chances are your mood will level off and things that bothered you won’t seem so bad.

2. De-Clutter and Give Things to Charity

Speaking of a mess, have you ever pulled out all of your holiday decorations to realize that you don’t use half of them or that some are broken and simply put back into the basement year after year? Cleaning and de-cluttering can be therapeutic. You can create space for beauty and amazing possibilities. You can bless others by giving away things you no longer need.

If cleaning after all the hard work of entertaining and hosting throughout the holidays makes you stressed, put on some meditation music or soothing nature sounds, take one room at a time, set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes, and focus on one area.

Have three bags with you, one for trash, one for recycling, and one for charity. When you’ve finished, you can clear your space with white sage, also referred to as a smudge stick.

This Native American tradition helps to clear any negative energy from an object or place, and it’s a great way to finish your de-cluttering and cleaning.

3. Get Financial Help and Plan for the Upcoming Year

Many people experience post-holiday blues when they awaken to the credit card bills in the mailbox and realize they’ve overspent. Instead of burying them underneath the pile (you know the one I’m talking about), make a plan for the upcoming year’s holiday spending.

Many banks offer a holiday savings account and the first of the year is a great time to start saving. Take a look at how much you spent over the holidays, take the total amount, and divide it by 12.

You now know how much you’ll need to save each month for gift giving and holiday festivities.

If monthly budgeting is what got you into year-end trouble, there are many free apps that will help you track your spending and help budget your money. Mint is one app and another free app is Penny.

4. Stick with a Routine

This simple yet priceless tool can help your physical and mental health get back to normal. During the holidays, everything gets off kilter. Start by setting a wake-up time and a time to go to bed every single day and stick to it.

Ayurveda recommends getting up at around 6 a.m. and getting to bed between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Make sure you’re going to sleep in total darkness. Set your electronic devices to off or sleep mode before 10 p.m.

so that your sleep is not interrupted.

Add in a schedule for your meals. Make sure you finish your evening meal about three hours before bedtime and stay away from caffeine after 4 p.m. If you really want to boost your mood, add in 15-minute walks after each meal.

5. Schedule in Friend Time

After all the parties, visits, and events, your calendar can look a bit empty in January, which in and of itself can make you feel sad. Now is the opportunity to schedule in-person friend time. Remember that friend who you only see every six months and each time you say to her/him, “We’ve got to do this more often.” That’s the friend you need to call.

If you feel that you crammed in all of your friend time during the holidays and that it’s too soon to schedule something again, look for ways to connect with others in person. You can start a Meetup group and find others with similar interests. You can find a workout buddy. Real connections work wonders to improve your mood.

6. Remember What You Loved About the Holidays

Grab a hot tea or hot chocolate, sit by the fireplace, and reflect on what you loved about this holiday season.

  • What was the best conversation you had?
  • What was the most thoughtful gift you received?
  • What was the funniest thing that happened?
  • What was one disaster that turned into a blessing or a great memory?

Focusing on the positive can bring you to a place of gratitude about the recent past and give you things to look forward to for the future.

Or better yet, do something that has been lost in the realm of digital photos. Create a scrapbook or album highlighting photos and souvenirs from the holiday season. It will be a treasure you can share with your children and grandchildren for years to come.

Finally, remember the adage, “This too shall pass.” Just as the frenzy of the holiday season is over, the lull in activity and your lowered energy will give way to something new and exciting. Be on the lookout for it and it will come soon.

Источник: //chopra.com/articles/6-ways-to-beat-the-post-holiday-blues

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