The Christmas and New Year holidays have always been considered the end and the highlight of the year. It is the last and very best part of a year. It is a time where families and friends come together to celebrate the Yuletide season and to give thanks for yet another wonderful year.
And it is during this time, that great memories are made and family bonds are made even stronger. What’s more, it is the time where work is usually suspended for a week at best, and all everyone seems to care about are the holidays and the many activities that are associated with it. But once the holidays end, there is always a sense of melancholy in the air.
This is called the post-holiday blues, and it is not uncommon to experience it. But as a writer, post- holiday blues can be quite severe. This is because the act of writing is a mental game.
And if you are not fully focused or not fully committed on the writing process, then all your efforts are for naught. Even worse, post- holiday blues can lead to all out depression and cause you to get writer’s block in the long run. Which is why it is imperative that you learn how to deal with the post-holiday blues as effectively as possible.
Here are 5 great ways to get rid of the post-holiday blues as a writer:
- Share your feelings
The first step to dealing with the post-holiday blues is to admit that you are feeling them, and to share these feelings with someone. If you are feeling blue, don’t just keep it to yourself, and try to soldier on. Try to open up to a family member or a friend.
Don’t be embarrassed that you have these feelings. They are normal, and can be overcome with good moral support. So if you have the doldrums, and can’t seem to focus on your work, then take a break, call a family member or friend.
Go to a café or any place where you can freely talk about your feelings. That way. You can purge yourself of any feelings of depression.
- Learn something new
One great way to overcome the post-Christmas holiday blues and combat writer’s block is to take a step back from the writing process and take up a hobby. This is because the effort of trying to learn something new, can shift your focus from the depressing thought of the holiday’s passing.
There is also the fact that the act of learning something new can compel you to be more creative and enable you to reach new heights once you start writing again. This hobby can be anything.
You can take up a cooking class, try a pottery class or even learn a martial art. In truth, the hobby does not really matter. What matters is that it enables you to shift your attention to something else.
- Write about how you are feeling
Yet another great way to overcome the post-Christmas blues is to write about it. Seeing as you are a writer by profession, the most effective way that you can elaborate on how you are feeling is through the written word. So if you are feeling down and don’t really have the motivation to write, then try to unload all your feelings on pen and paper.
Try to talk about how the passing of the Christmas holidays makes you feel. Write about how it affects you and your day to day activities. Then have someone you know and trust and read it.
Then ask for their own thoughts on the matter. Hearing honest opinions and advice will help you see things through a different perspective and beat the blues in the end.
- Make plans for a trip
One of the main reasons why people have the post-Christmas holiday blues is because they get too hung up on the fun stuff associated with Christmas time. This is why you should find something else to look forward to. And the easiest and most effective way to do this, is to make plans for a trip.
It can be a trip abroad or just a visit to relatives in another state, it does not really matter. What matters is that you have something to look forward to that will take your mind of Christmas time.
- Remember that the Yuletide holidays are always there
The post-Christmas blues are difficult to deal with, because the memories of Christmas are always so potent and so much fun to reminisce about. But there is one thing that you should remember. That the Yuletide holidays will always come around.
So if you are feeling blue and can’t seem to get any work done, then you should make a mental note, that there is another Christmas season coming in at the end of the year, and you will always have something to look forward to. So cheer up and meet the New Year with a cheerful and optimistic outlook.
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