The transition from the holiday season back to the normal drudgery is so depressing. Is there any way to make Jan / Feb less depressing?
like, it’s still dark at 5pm, there are barely any sports on, still bitterly cold and austere and it hurts to go outside, but you’re not even looking forward to christmas or the new year. the new year is here, and it’s largely the same as last year. except you’re getting older.
I take my time putting up Christmas (as others mentioned the season traditionally lasts until Epiphany (Jan 6), and some traditions don’t even celebrate it until that day.) usually somewhere between the first nutcracker and last ornament I transition from missing Christmas to looking forward to being done with it.
Then I transition that into “spring cleaning”. I clean out the attic before moving the Christmas boxes back into storage, and tackle other areas that accumulated junk and boxes over the past year.
Like a lot of people, I also like to try something new or different. It can be as simple as a new tv show or streaming service, new author, new video game, or a new recipe, new hobby, etc. maybe go to the movies a few times or eat out somewhere special.
There are barely any sports on? Hockey is on nearly every single day. Football playoffs start in two weeks. College championship is next Monday. NBA is on if you’re desperate. If you’re not American get yourself a VPN and watch anyway!
There’s also one of the most interesting title races in years in the English Premier League (football/soccer).
Plus the amazing exploits of young Luke Littler at the darts World Championship - only 16 and into the final having beaten some serious players already.
That’s said, I’m interested in those and the NFL, and like OP, I still find this time of year deeply depressing and hard to cope with.
Yes! This is the true solution to the holiday blues (and may other problems). Become Pagan. Our celebrations are 13 + 8 every year, plus multiple life events and “because I want to” times.
Celebrating the quarter and cross quarter days can work for atheists, science fans and Pagans alike. You get a holiday every month and a half. You can simply celebrate the changing of seasons/Earth’s relative position to the Sun or get all magick with it, as you like. The quarter days are the solstices and equinoxes, the cross quarter days are the points in between. Halloween (Samhain) and May Day (Beltane) are the famous cross quarter days, but they happen in winter (Imbolc, Feb 1- also known as Groundhog Day) and summer (Lammas/Lunasa, Aug1).
Well for some of us the opposite is true. My family is somewhat disconnected and festering their resentments toward each other, so the holidays being over for me is like being able to breathe again! Lights down everyone!!!
This method works well for me. Having something to look forward to is always a good thing. I try to schedule some kind of small trip or event every month.
Highly recommend bright light therapy the moment you wake up or at the desired wakeup time. I can’t imagine what it must be like for those unaware of these things, the darkness would have me on the brink
Imma do a second “dose” right now, the alternative reality makes me shudder
Can you elaborate? I’ve seen these, I’ve seen what they’re “supposed” to do, but can you explain from your personal POV how it helps you, if that makes sense?
It does a few things but it basically entrains your circadian rhythms that mediate wakefulness and sleep. I’m no scientist but they are helpful for both insomnia and depression (particularly SAD) and I find it to be an indispensible part of my morning routine in waking me up and orienting me and fixing my sleep to a proper schedule.
And the light is important in the winter anyway because of the dreariness and darkness but I can’t justify why
Thank you! It sounds like one of these would be very helpful for me. I’m a night owl who works in a 9-5 world, and waking up in the morning is a huge mix of depression and anxiety even if I’ve gotten 6-7 hours of sleep or so.
I wear a sleep mask so it never really helped me all that much even though I have one and experimented with it. I’ll never dispose of it but it more or less collects dust
Glad its working for ya. I always thought it was strange how much emphasis is placed on having a hermetically-sealed dark room for sleep when its like, just get a good sleeping mask and literally rest your eyes
I tried the sleep mask and earplugs because that’s what they say helps but sleep me just takes it all off cause I have some weird sensory issues. I need some blackout curtains :(
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