Congratulations – you’ve made it through the shortest day of the year and over the hump into 2015. Now what? It can be hard to start the year off with a bang when the days are so dark and cold and there’s no promise of a new celebration for weeks. Luckily for you, we’ve got ten great tips for making it through the post-holiday blues with your sanity intact.
1) Take Your Time
Who says that all your decorations must be taken down by the end of December? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the post-holiday cleaning left to do, don’t sweat it. Take your time transitioning out of the holiday season and make a manageable “tear down” schedule that will also allow you to enjoy the holiday glow for just a little bit longer.
2) Stay Active
Bears hibernate, people don’t. If it’s too cold to keep to your jogging schedule, stay active by hitting the slopes (or the gym!) and enjoy the public skating rinks that tend to pop up in this cold, winter season.
3) Get Some Sun
If a trip to the beach isn’t going to happen for you right now, it’s still possible to enjoy the benefits of Vitamin D. Take advantage of the early sunrise by adjusting your sleep schedule to an early wake, early sleep balance so you can make the most of the available daylight.
4) Set (and Accomplish) a Goal
Check off one of your New Year’s resolutions for an easy pick-me-up and a positive start to 2015.
5) Get Cooking
A few large holiday meals are a recipe for lethargy, so avoid the winter weight gain by getting back into healthy eating habits once the holiday festivities have subsided. Make sure you’re eating complex carbohydrates, too, as they’re less likely to make your blood sugar spike (which results in mood swings) and can also increase your serotonin levels.
6) Give Your Brain a Workout, Too
It’s not just your body that runs the risk of getting a little mushy during the holidays. Keep your brain active by trying to balance your television binge-watching with brain teasers like strategy games, crosswords or a great conversation during the dark days and nights spent holed up away from the snow.
7) Stay Social
A hard part of the holiday come-down is the decreasing social opportunities. After the highs of holiday get-togethers, it’s easy to feel isolated and unmotivated when reality sets back in. Make a point to maintain the connections formed over the holidays and have fun with your friends to brighten your mood.
8) Lighten Up
Even with waking up early to greet the sun, it can be hard to get enough Vitamin D when stuck inside for most of the day. Combat this by surrounding yourself with light decor: Pull back the drapes, wash your windows and let the light come to you.
9) Make Your Bed
No, your mother didn’t pay us to write that. Making your bed is actually a multi-beneficial, yet incredibly easy, task. Not only will doing this give you a sense of accomplishment each morning, it also means that you’re less likely to give up on the day and crawl back into bed!
10) Be Thermostat-Smart
The holidays can be expensive enough without an extreme heating bill added to the mix. Be smart with the artificial heating you pump into your home by dressing appropriately and snuggling up with a loved one.
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