Look at your past experiences to enlighten you as to your normal post-holiday feelings. Do you always fall into a slump after the holiday season? If you have spent period after last two holidays in despair, then the chances of this post holiday period continuing in despair are high. Look carefully about what you did last time and what relaxed you. And realize that generally this is a phase that is easily fixed.

Take it easy when you’re settling back down into your usual routine. Your more rested self is a good thing and gives you an opportunity to take a renewed perspective on your work, routine, study, or home life pace. Perhaps the break has given you perspective on your life, job, relationships etc. If so, this is a good time to consider making changes to improve your situation, especially because not making the changes can prolong your blues.

Ensure that any goals you’ve set are reasonable and most importantly achievable. Taking weight loss as an example, targeting for a size zero is unrealistic, but looking for 1 pound loss in a span of week seems to be more achievable.

Eat away your blues. Eat foods that boost your serotonin (feel good) neurotransmitters. Suitable foods containing tryptophan (the building block for serotonin) include bananas, poultry, dairy produce, and peas. [5] X Research source Keep exercising no matter the weather, lethargy and weight excuses. Exercise will give you the mood-boost you need and gets you moving again. If you’re living in a cold climate, there are plenty of winter exercising options such as walking, skiing, and gym workouts. You could also stay inside and exercise on an indoor exercise bike if you have one. For those in a hot climate, swimming, hiking, and water sports are ideal mood lifters.

If you didn’t plan too well for the holidays and find yourself deep down in the debt rack, get financial advice immediately and start to sort out the finances sooner rather than later. It might reduce the indulgences for now but this is probably the best time to feel the least deprived about indulgences!

If you want to travel, start planning the trip and budget now. If you’ve got big plans ahead like your own or someone else’s wedding, having a baby, renovating a home, taking your parents on a cruise, etc. , throw yourself into planning. If you’re yearning for certain aspects of your life to change, such as going from being single to being part of a couple, use this time to plan how you will make this happen, such as putting yourself out there more, joining a club, or spending time using specific online sites, etc.