The holidays are over and the decorations are put away. Many people feel a let down after the holidays and feel sad. Typically there have been parties; time off work and time spent with loved ones. These are times to be cherished. It’s natural to feel sad after the holidays. Especially so if some of your loved ones are no longer here.

There are some things you can do that will help you get past the holiday slump. There are things to boost your mood. These suggestions are coming from a TED talk I saw quite a while ago on the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor. My opinion is that if we do these things on a regular basis they will improve our mood and lessen depression.

  1. Practice gratitude– List 3 things each day you are grateful for. They don’t have to be major events, just simple things. Perhaps it’s the sunshine, someone held the door open for you, you had a delicious meal, or you have a great partner. The last blog I wrote was on gratitude, so you may want to refer back to it to get more ideas.
  2. Journaling-this is simply writing down your thoughts, the good, bad and ugly. There doesn’t need to be any specific sentence or paragraph structure, just a stream of thoughts. This can help us understand ourselves better, help us work out some problems, or simply validate our own feelings.
  3. Exercise-this is one of the biggest things that you can do to improve your mood. Research shows that it reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression more so than medication. An added benefit is that it will also improve sleep. Just 30 minutes a day 3-4 times per week can help. Consider taking the stairs at work or parking farther away to get in some additional exercise. If you aren’t into organized exercise or going to the gym, walk by yourself or with a friend.
  4. Meditation-there are many simple meditations you can do. If you go to YouTube you will find plenty of them that can guide you. The easiest is a simple breathing meditation-just pay attention to your breathing for 8 minutes. Don’t judge yourself when your mind wanders, just simple tell yourself to focus on your breathing. There is a wonderful book called 8 Minute Meditation by Davich, which is written for the novice meditation. Simple and effective.
  5. Random acts of kindness-do this for others and it will make you feel good. Hold the door open, let someone know what you appreciate about him or her, call a friend who is down, volunteer, or help a friend in need.

Try doing these on a daily basis and see how it changes your mood. If you need extra help to improve your mood or need more tools for coping, call me at 713-304-6554.

Take care,

Debbie Grammas, Ph.D.