Moving Past the Post-Holiday Blues

The holidays are over. You may be left with the toll of having jumped back into your own family role, feel like you took somewhat of a financial hit, or maybe “beyond lapsed” with your diet and exercise plan. Though you may feel like you’ve backtracked and are stuck, there are 4 things you can do to get your head and your heart back on track for the new year.
Stop Ruminating & Make a Solvable List
Saying to yourself, “How did I let this happen?” can only leave you with an answer you don’t need to hear (Like I’m a dumb-ass). The “How” and “Why” questions will only lead you to more rumination and upset. Wave that imaginal STOP sign and switch lanes into a list of things you CAN solve that is meaningful to you. For example a “to-do” list to get you back on track. Schedule out these tasks and spread them through the week so your body and mind will feel focused and proactive.
Lower Expectations but Hold to Them
Perhaps you are out of practice of exercising and eating right, or some of your guilty pleasures have resurfaced during the holidays. Slowly wean up the healthy and slowly wean down the unhealthy. Baby steps will take the pressure off of you for quick results and make this long-term getting on track more feasible and less prone to shorter lapses. It is often not the lapse in unhealthy behavior that is the problem, but our self-defeating beliefs about them. Being accepting of the lapses with grace to move back slowly will help.
Balance the Plates
You cannot go “all in” now on work, school or whatever else you have been neglecting. Going “all in” will upset the balance in the opposite way. It will lead to burn out and a “back at square one” feeling. Your coping can decline and your mood can become more irritable. It is important to not go extreme with work or play but find your personal balance between both on a weekly or even daily basis.
Remember How You have Bounced Back Before
You have been through worse than this! You have bounced back after break-ups and other losses, you certainly can recover from this holiday. What strengths do you have that you can use to get back on track? You certainly have motivation – you are reading this blog. You also have identified WHAT you want to get back on track to increase. But, what are the good reasons why it is WORTH it to start today? Could there be no better time? If you keep waiting until you FEEL like it – how long will it take that feeling to come? You certainly have pushed through getting back on track before and you will as soon as you decide to start. Do it today!
Getting back on track is simple but is not always easy! Following these steps will help you get back to balance in your life. Sign-up for our email newsletter for more healthy tips. www.DrPaulDePompo.com