10 Creative Ways to Fight the Post Holiday Blues

10.  Eat:  Eat something good for you!  Most of us love chocolate and sugar and fatty things to eat, and that stuff does give us a temporary moment of pleasure.  I contend though that eating a big spinach salad or some luscious pieces of fruit will quench that hunger pang, and it will provide us with a high degree of nutrients with a relatively low degree of calories.  Maybe we’ll miss having that chocolate, but our consciences will be pleased that we made a healthy choice.  Long term, too, the health benefits are helpful.

9.  Music:  Learn to play a new musical instrument, or learn to play a challenging piece on an instrument you already know.  The mind enjoys being stretched, learning new things.  Any feeling of accomplishment will be a huge boost in self esteem and probably will be a catalyst for launching you into other new areas as well.

8.  Read:  Find a book that you’ve wanted to read for a long time but haven’t read yet.  Read good literature … it doesn’t have to be Shakespeare (but it can be).  I’m enjoying reading Carl Sandburg’s biography on Abraham Lincoln — it’s great writing, it’s informative, and I feel good after reading a chapter or two.

7.  Write:  Write a hand-written letter to someone you haven’t written to for a while.   You’ll make someone’s day, and you’ll feel good about having done something nice for somebody.  Start a blog and write down as many pleasant stories from your childhood as you can remember.

6.  Exercise:  Stop what you’re doing and go for that walk that you’ve always been meaning to take.  If you’re so inclined, pick up a new sport.  Learn to play racquetball.  Go bowling.  Call up a neighbor and see if he/she will go for a walk with you around the block.

5.  Television:  Keep it turned off.  Find something else to do — almost anything will help you feel better than you would feel after watching an hour or two of television.

4.  Bake:  Make something for a neighbor or for colleagues in the workplace.  Try something more challenging than brownies or chocolate chip cookies, e.g., baklava or tira misu.  Be really careful though that you don’t bake something and then eat it all yourself!  Perhaps eating a big salad before you begin baking is a good idea.

3.  Donate:  Give your time or talents or gifts to your church or a favorite charity, above what you normally give.  Do it as anonymously as you can.  You’ll be able to pat yourself on the back.

2.  Laugh:  Find a book with humorous anecdotes at the library, or call someone who makes you laugh.  Allow yourself to be silly.  Take a big sheet of paper and a pen and draw the funniest cartoon you can imagine.

1.  Love:  Stop focusing on yourself.  Find someone in need of a listener or a hug and make yourself available.  The more you put other people first, the less sorry you’ll feel for yourself.

I know I said this was a list of 10 days … but here’s the bonus and (I believe) the most important thing to do:

0.  Pray / Worship:  True joy doesn’t come from within.  It comes from God.  Allow him to work in your life.