Post-Christmas Blues

Christmas can be one of the most exciting times of the year for a lot of people. It’s a chance for gathering with loved ones, some of whom you might not even see during the rest of the year, with gifts, food, and general good cheer. But when that’s over, it’s all too easy for us to fall into a slump, a “blues”, with the absence of it all. Developing these feelings after the festive season is more common and normal than you might think, and odds are if you’re feeling down then there’s someone else close by who’s feeling the exact same way. So, this article is going to discuss the ways you can keep those Post-Christmas Blues at bay.

Keeping Up Communication

It’s so important to maintain communication with your loved ones after the festivities are done. It’s too easy to see the festive period as an isolated event, but if you dedicated time to talking and planning with your loved ones then it’s easy to plan more occasions when you can be together. However, if you find you can’t physically spend time together during the rest of the year, there’s no reason why you can’t jump on Zoom, Teams, or just an old-fashioned phone call for a catch-up! Keeping up communication like this will make any post-festive blues far less impactful.

Setting Resolutions

Setting New Year’s resolutions can be more helpful than you might think for combatting the blues. A lot of you may think that resolutions have to follow a certain template of self-betterment, always relating to exercise or dieting or re-inventing yourself, making the next year “your year” – resolutions in fact don’t have to be this intense if you don’t want them to be. Your resolutions are yours and they can be as simple as you want, like saving up money for a piece of clothing/furniture you really want, visiting somewhere in Lincoln you haven’t been to before, cooking something you’ve never tried, or even just promising you’ll shower every day! Having these little goals will keep your head focused more on the future and less on the past, so moving forward from Christmas will feel far less difficult.

Maintaining A Routine

Creating a routine for yourself, in my experience, can be one of the most helpful things you can do if you’re struggling with the blues. Whether it’s something you do on a fortnightly, weekly, or daily basis, laying out everything you need to accomplish in a certain timeframe can make things feel far less overwhelming. Having this kind of organisation at the ready helps you give time to everything you need to do, whether it be work-related, study-related, chores, social events, or having time dedicated purely for yourself – planning specifically to do nothing can really help you unwind and have better mental health.

It’s so important to remember how completely normal these blues are, and that you’re not alone in experiencing these feelings. If you find that you’re particularly struggling then don’t stay silent, please do reach out to Student Wellbeing. You can reach them by e-mail at studentwellbeing@lincoln.ac.uk or by phone at 01522 886400. They will be able to help you get out of this post-festive slump because these blues honestly don’t have to last if you don’t let them.