4 Tips to Managing Post Christmas Blues

December 28, 2024 | By Kindbridge

For many, the Holiday season and the festivities that come with it can be taxing on their mental health. But to millions of others the Holidays feel like the most wonderful time of the year. For this group the eager anticipation begins from the moment the Halloween decorations are tossed into the basement and replaced by sparkling notes of red and green. If you’re among them, the days leading into December 25th are filled with excitement and cheer. But something changes as the calendar moves on and torn wrapping paper is placed in the recycling bin along with other festive trappings. All of a sudden elevated emotions come crashing down and you’re left in a funk known as post Christmas blues. You experience it every year, but this time around you want to do something about it. Whether it’s because the burden feels heavier than usual, or you have grown weary of the annual cycle you are looking for help. Kindbridge is here for you.

4 Tips to Overcoming Negative Emotions You Feel After the Holiday Season Has Come to an End

1. Replace Christmas Goodies with Foods that Promote Mental Health

Like millions of others Americans, you have probably enjoyed a month of sipping, snacking, and eating. From candy canes and gingerbread cookies to egg nog laced martinis you have allowed yourself to indulge. What you may not have noticed throughout the weeks was a “sugar crash”; a sudden drop in energy levels and increase in negative feelings that occurs after consuming a large amount of carbohydrates. This goes unnoticed and unchecked as you continue to consume festive goodies. However, after Christmas you almost instantly stop eating and drinking these foods and begin to feel the effects of destabilized blood sugar. Symptoms of poor glycemic regulation have been shown to closely mirror mental health symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, worry, and stress. This may be a very big part of why you feel post Christmas blues.

To account for the nutritional component of compromised feelings and emotions, you can fight fire with fire. Research has found that dietary adjustments can have a beneficial impact on treating symptoms of anxiety, irritability, mild depression, and stress. For one, studies indicate that the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) Omega-3 is more effective than a placebo in managing mild to moderate symptoms of depression. Meanwhile, research has shown that certain strains of ginseng may suppress the occurrence of anxiety. Meanwhile, phosphatidylserine, a naturally occurring compound that is found in foods such as soy and cabbage, is known to help deliver norepinephrine and epinephrine to the brain which helps to stabilize mood and reduce negative feelings. While there are many other studies that can be referenced, and more research needs to be done before definitive statements can be made, there is certainly a connection between eating good and feeling good. Proceed accordingly on your post Christmas visits to the local grocer.

2. Avoid Coping Activities That Can Further Harm Mental Health

Coping activities, or coping mechanisms, are those that you may partake in as a means to escape the negative feelings you experience after the Holidays. They produce dopamine – the “feel good” chemical – which is why they seem to be effective. The issue, is that habits and compulsions can be formed, especially among those who have vulnerabilities and predispositions to compulsive behavior. These compulsions come with a slew of symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, restlessness, feelings of depression, and stress. And at best, coping activities offer a fleeting solution.

As discussed above, consuming sugar and carbohydrate laden foods is one type of coping activity. Another that is easy to fall into after Christmas is shopping. As a Holiday season reveler you have been shopping heavily from Black Friday through to December 25th. As soon as the bell tolls on Christmas night your email inboxes and SMS push notifications are flooded with Amazon (etc.) notes with subject headings such as “We found something you might like” that encourage you to keep spending. Shopping, particularly online shopping, can become a process addiction for those who are predisposed and can strengthen feelings of anxiety especially if you are already in debt (more on this below).

Coping activities that should be avoided as a means to escape post Christmas blues include the following:

Excessive gambling (casino gaming and sports betting)
Excessive gaming
Excessive consumption of pornography
Unhealthy eating
Substance abuse
Excessive shopping
Excessive social media use and doomscrolling (view more on digital addictions)

3. Get Help for Holiday Season Debt

Current data finds that 36% of American consumers took on an added Holiday season debt of just under $1,200. This piles on to the over $36,000 of debt that 35% percent of U.S. households already hold. Make no bones about, Holiday season spending and debt weigh heavy on mental health. Therefore, any tips to overcoming after Christmas blues must include reference to debt relief. There are a variety of debt consolidation services near you that will require some homework and research on your end. Feel free to explore these options, but we do encourage you to first reference Debt.org which is a debt assistance organization that serves millions of Americans through accurate and accessible online information about personal finances. This practical solution to improving your financial situation can have indirectly positive implications on your mental wellness.

4. Make Support a Part of the New Year YOU

Most other articles on how to beat post Christmas blues tell you to focus on your resolutions for the new year. On the surface this is logical and sound advice. The problem, is that research finds 86% of Americans abandon their new year resolutions within the first two weeks of January. How can you avoid joining this majority? By making participation in counseling the primary part of your wellness strategy for the post-Holidays year ahead.

The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that more than half of those who undergo counseling and therapy self-report “recovery” within 15 – 20 sessions (up to 5 months, if done weekly). However, it is not uncommon for people (those not struggling with a moderate to severe issue) to note emotional improvements from the moment they conclude their very first session. This is typically true of those who are able to open up and unload feelings when they haven’t had anyone to turn to about these feelings before. Further, in understanding that they (you) have taken the most important step in investing in personal wellness, you may find that you will stay on track for those other new year resolutions. It’s like buying a gym membership for your brain, so to speak.

Start the new year off with powerful and effective support from Kindbridge Behavioral Health! Reach out to schedule your first session via your preferred form of contact provided below.