By Valerie Tunks,
Board Certified Coach
Congratulations!
You made it through the holiday season. Remember back in October when you had a
strange mix of excitement and dread about all the work ahead of you preparing,
shopping, wrapping, cooking, gifts and parties?
Well, now that there’s no elf on a shelf keeping the kids in line, the
glitter and lights are boxed up and in the attic and the kids are back at
school, you kind of miss it don’t you?
Your neighborhood no longer twinkles and glows at night when you drive
home from work. The holiday magic is gone and it’s back to business as
usual. While there are a lot of stresses
involved with the holidays, it is a magical time of year and when it’s over, we
miss it; now it’s just plain old winter.
Although we tend to have a love-hate relationship with the holiday
season, when it’s over we’re left with somewhat of an empty feeling. So, what can you do to spice up the rest of the
season while we wait for Mr. Groundhog to tell us how long we have to wait for spring?
Get Out of the House
It is important to get out of the house during the winter
months to avoid cabin fever. It is easy
to fall into a winter
depression, so do your best to get out and be active. Look around – sometimes it’s nice to walk in
a winter wonderland.
Make the Best of it
While colder and shorter days can be tough to get through, they
will go faster and be more enjoyable if you try to embrace them. If you have a fireplace, use it; sit by the
fire and enjoy the warmth and glow. When
it snows, get out there and make a snowman or go sledding with some
friends. If that isn’t your thing (or
you live someplace where it doesn’t snow or you hate snow), get out your camera
and take some scenery photos; you may just come to appreciate the winter
landscape.
Try Something New
Every Week
Cooking is great way to try something new every week. Search for recipes online and invite a friend
over to cook with you. Your inner Julia
Child will thank you. Plus, having
friends and loved ones over is fun – it makes us feel less cold and
lonely. It’s a great way to pass the time and
doesn’t require going outside when it is too cold.
Plan Something to
Look Forward To
If your budget allows now is a good time to plan that
vacation you’ve been dreaming of. It
will give you something to look forward to and something to plan for a
while. You can book the trip now and
spend the next couple of months planning your itinerary. If a vacation isn’t a possibility, map out
some day trips or outings you would like to do once the warmer weather
reappears. Or, plan a winter trip if you can.
Go skiing, head someplace tropical, wherever you feel good – just give
yourself something to look forward to.
Whether the Groundhog says we have 6 more weeks of winter or
an early spring, don’t worry – you can beat the post-holiday blues by keeping
yourself busy. Who knows, winter may
become your favorite season!
Valerie Tunks is a board certified life coach and can be reached here.
