F inding Joy
After Post-Holiday Blues
E ach year, the holiday
season brings with it a lot
of excitement, activities
and social gatherings. We
often make a special effort
to decorate Christmas trees,
treat our children to Santa sightings,
purchase colorful wrapping paper and
gifts, make festive cookies and treats
and even take the time to “move” our
Elf-on-a-Shelf in unique poses! The entire
month of December is often devoted to
one task after another with the intention
that our children get to do, see and
experience as much as possible, without
considering the effects on our wallets,
bodies, our internal spirits and minds.

After the holiday season ends, we start
the New Year with a firecracker burst
by staying up all night eating, drinking,
socializing with friends and family and
sleeping in late the next day. While
society conditions us to act this way at
each holiday season, we often face the
beginning of the New Year with sadness
or reluctance to do things. Mental
health experts believe such holiday
overstimulation may lead some people
to experience anxiety, depression,
mania or stress.

Continued 18 January 2018 washingtonFAMILY.com
page 20