by Catalogs.com Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

The holiday season is a difficult time for many people.

Rather than raising spirit, loud carolers and cheerful decorations can often make a person feel more disconnected. High demands from cleaning and baking to spending money on gifts and attending social events make this an understandably stressful time. The month right after the holidays can be equally rough: you are tired, family relations may have been strained, money is tight.

These ten ways to get over the post holiday blues are tools to take control of your emotions, manage stress and keep your troubles from effecting those around you.

10. Take yourself on a date

A night off on your own can do wonders for your mental wellness. After concentrating on family and friends over the holidays, the post holiday weeks are the perfect time to do something just for you. Your mission is to put on a your favorite outfit and go out to enjoy a low-key night doing something you love doing.

9. Dear Lonely

Parties and a steady flow of greetings from loved ones who are far away can be surprisingly isolating. Spend some time during and after the holiday sending holiday cards and sharing your wishes for a positive new year. Promise yourself to expand your social circle. Spend an afternoon volunteering at a community event, attend a spiritual service or go join a local club to be amongst your local community.

8. Edit your traditions

The holidays are magical for children, but you’re not a child anymore. If you’re a parent, you’re now the puppet master pulling strings behind the curtain to help give this time a magical feel for their children. Or you may celebrate with other adults who are also looking around wondering where the magic is. You’ve grown up and become a different person, so try to be present in every moment and stop trying to make every holiday as it was when you were a kid. Think about changes for the next holiday season.

7. Renew your healthy habits

Eating piles of cookies and skipping workouts to watch another holiday movie won’t make these few weeks more enjoyable. In fact, you need lots of sleep and healthy meals to fuel your recovery from holiday mania. Layer up in cold weather active wear and go for a run. Regular exercise will give you plenty of energy and help fight off negative post holiday thoughts.

6. Smile

One of the best ways to get over the post holiday blues is to smile. Be honest and let yourself feel the sad or lonely emotions, but don’t reinforce them by dwelling. According to Scientific American, the physical act of smiling influences positive feelings. Skeptical? You have nothing to lose in trying.

5. Commit to a recovery budget

Overspending on gifts and decorations and food is a major source of holiday stress. After the holidays, look at your finances to evaluate how well you stuck to your plan, and set a budget that will help you pay down holiday debt. Save money for the coming months by only shopping sales and living lean. Many people find it helps to purchase gifts and decor whenever you see a great deal, instead of waiting to do all your shopping in December.

4. Plan, plan, plan

Anxiety creeps in when the things we feel we need to do outweigh the time we have to do them. It is exacerbated by the feeling that things went wrong or were mismanaged. Grab a piece of paper and write down what worked this year – from shopping, to party and menu planning. Get it all out of your head and down on paper. Now schedule days on next season’s calendar for the big tasks, making a note to delegate what you can. The list will ease anxiety, as will crossing off each line item when the holidays roll around again.

3. Look up

No matter how busy things get as people settle back into work schedules, school and routine family time, find 10-15 minutes a few nights a week to go outside and look up. Indulge in a little outdoor exploration to clear your head. Fresh air and stargazing on a cool, crisp night will help you maintain a sense of calm and balance.

2. Know the difference between sad and SAD

Some people looking for ways to get over the holiday blues are actually fighting seasonal affective disorder, a.k.a. SAD. SAD usually builds in fall and lasts through the winter. It makes people moody, depressed and sluggish. It’s caused in part by lack of vitamin D and a drop in serotonin levels. Open those curtains wider, try taking a supplement and stepping outside more often. Consider seeing a doctor if it persists.

1. Unstructured day of fun

Don’t let the the weeks after the holidays pass without doing the little things you enjoy about it most. Take a day off and go look at the elaborate window displays, ice skate, drive around to see holiday lights. Then go home, break open a gourmet food gift, turn off music, phones and television and simply appreciate quiet comforts of a warm home and lit tree on a cold night.