MACON, Ga. — Just a few weeks ago many of us were off for the holidays and enjoying that quality time seeing family and friends.
Now, just like the presents under the tree, our holiday excitement may be gone.
Losing that spirit can affect your day to day life.
As you get back to normal after the holidays you may notice some of the joy and excitement from a couple of weeks ago is now gone.
You may even be feeling down.
“I definitely miss my family and friends. It's definitely hard not being with them right now,” Mercer student Leila Works said.
Works, like many, are getting back to the basics after riding the holiday high.
“Dealing with post holiday depression has been a little hard. Having to come back to school and get readjusted to going to bed early, waking up early, and having set deadlines, and having to study for tests have been very hard,” she said.
licensed marriage and family therapist Wachovia Thornton says the wait between holidays can have an affect on us.
”Now, you're looking at the calendar like 'I don't have another long holiday until, the summer, spring break', or however you categorize it, for your family,” she said.
Thornton says college students aren't the only ones impacted by post holiday blues.
She says a lot of people experience symptoms like stress, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and irritability.
Thornton has some solutions.
“Getting out and about, getting exercise, tapping into your social life or your support system,” she said.
Thornton says it's important to understand your feelings.
"The biggest one is to try and identify what is happening," she said.
For Works, she misses that face to face interaction.
"It definitely helps being able to talk to them on the phone but I would like to be there in person," she said.
Another tip: try to schedule something within your means. Whether it's a weekend trip or even a staycation because self care breaks are always a good thing.