What are the post-holiday blues? It sounds like a social media buzz-phrase but if you’re a single parent suffering from what feels like unexplained mental distress, anxiety, or sadness after the holidays, you’re not alone. And these feelings can be magnified if you’re a single parent and have nobody around except irritable children who can’t play outside and are bored with their Christmas toys already.
After all the excitement of Christmas, seeing various relatives and of course all the presents, children can also suffer from post-holiday blues. Christmas and new year are built up in advance for so long that the long, cold, dull days of January and February can seem like a huge comedown, especially when you’re little.
Post-holiday blues – the come down after the holiday season
As a single parent, you might also feel that the Christmas period is hard work, something you have to shoulder alone and without support. Once you’ve done everything and seen everybody, the come down after the frenetic preparations can feel like a crash, emotionally, and during a time when you may also be dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) from the lack of sunlight, money worries and even loneliness.
The adrenaline rush of the holiday can give way to feelings of:
- anxiety
- lack of motivation
- irritability
- stress and depression
You might also find yourself dealing with insomnia, whether that’s because you’re worried about money, or thinking about issues that came up over the holiday season. If you’ve had issues with the children’s other parent over the holiday period, perhaps there have been arguments about contact, or even a cold weather emergency that’s caused problems with arrangements, you might need to put your mind at rest by speaking to one of our family law professionals at Gillbanks Family Law.
Research has shown that mental health can often decline after the holiday season. Even though it’s quite normal, and OK, to feel exhausted or even sad after the holidays, try not to let the negative feelings drag you down too much. It’s the ideal time, if you can, to give yourself a little self-care as the chances are that you’ve been running around trying to sort out everybody else’s needs and desires since about Halloween. If you have a supportive friend or family member, confide in them about your low mood, and don’t be afraid to talk to a professional if your symptoms are severe or persistent.
It can be lonely as a single parent with post-holiday blues
If you’ve spent a lot of time alone over Christmas, you might have experienced feelings of loneliness. At the same time, if you’ve been left on your own to deal with the children as a single parent, and there’s been nobody to share the load, it can be especially isolating.
You might have felt as if you were letting the children down because as a single parent you had to work over Christmas and couldn’t spend as much time with them as you would have liked, or you couldn’t afford to do or buy the things you wanted? Be kind to yourself. You’re likely doing your best in a difficult situation and the children will remember the little things you did together – Christmas rituals like tree decorating or the long walk after Christmas dinner – just as much as the big things you couldn’t this year.
How to get over the post-holiday blues
If you can, try and organise something for you and the children (or even just you) to look forward to. January can be dull, cold and miserable so try to arrange play dates for the little ones and time with your friends and family, even if it’s doing free and cheap things like a walk in the park, a visit to a free museum or gallery or a quick coffee and a gossip. Stayimg actve and sociable will help you and the children get over the winter blues. Plus, getting outside when the weather allows for it will help top up your sunlight and beat SAD. It’s also been proven that spending time in green spaces boosts feelings of well-being.
If you’re worried about anything relating to the arrangements for the children, or financial arrangements, contact our team at Gillbanks Family Law for advice.