The holidays can offer a much needed rest at the end of a long or challenging year. Most people are able to enjoy a break from school or work and soak up some quality time with friends and family. But with all the events and gatherings, you may also leave the holiday season feeling a need for rejuvenation.
As we move into the new year, there’s a chance to start fresh with a renewed drive to meet your goals and try new experiences. If you want to embrace the new year full of energy and motivation, it’s important first to take time to fill your well after the holidays. Here are a few ways to recharge after the holidays so you can start the new year off right.
#1 - Get Back To a Healthy Sleep Routine
Holiday get-togethers can throw a wrench into your normal routine. You may have to wake up early to catch a flight to see long-distance family or stay up until midnight to greet the new year with your friends. During the holiday season, we make these changes because the fun and time spent with loved ones makes it worth it. But as you return to your normal life, make sure you take time to return to a healthy sleep routine, too.
Sleep is essential to having the energy and motivation you need for the new year. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Without it, fatigue will build as your mood and motivation both drop. Even if you didn’t have a very healthy sleep routine beforehand, this may be a good time to start one. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and give yourself at least 7 hours of sleep.
#2 - New Year’s Cleaning
Is your home littered with wrapping paper, empty tin foil casserole dishes and solo cups? All that holiday cheer can leave a tornado of mess in its wake, and it’s easy to want to avoid the cleanup. But the longer you put it off, the more that clutter can impact your mood. People are affected by the space around them. When your home is messy and cluttered, you’re more likely to feel distracted, scattered, and irritable.
If you don’t feel ready to tackle cleaning all at once, try doing fifteen minutes of cleaning each day. Or, if you live with family or friends, turn it into a game or competition to pass the time more easily.
#3 - Take Some Quiet Time For Mindfulness and Reflection
The holidays are often a largely social season. Even if you only have one holiday party, you still have to spend much of your focus outward — wishing those around you well for the holidays, giving gifts that you think they’ll enjoy, and spending time with them. We are a social people, and this connection with loved ones can be rejuvenating in its own way. But everyone also needs moments of quiet reflection, as well.
As the holidays draw to a close, it’s a good time to start focusing on mindfulness practices and checking in with yourself. This could include journaling, meditation, or yoga. Whatever allows you to slow down for a few minutes and focus on your thoughts and feelings can be a great way to recharge for the new year.
#4 - Find Ways To Move Your Body
If you had a regular workout routine before the holiday season, you likely missed a few days amid the holiday dinners and last-minute shopping. Now is the time to get back to it. If you didn’t have a workout routine before, this can be a great time to start one.
This doesn’t have to be going to the gym several times a week. If you prefer a different pace, consider taking long walks or doing some yoga in the morning or evening. Whatever helps you to move your body is helpful, especially in the colder months when it’s easy to hole up at home. The more you exercise, the more energy and focus you’ll have for the things you love.
#5 - Set Boundaries
Feeling anxious about returning to work after the holidays? Interrogate whether this could be because your work life tends to bleed into your personal life and drains you more than it’s meant to. If so, you may need to set boundaries at work, like not answering calls or messages during your downtime or delegating tasks to others on your team.
In fact, setting boundaries in all the aspects of your life that need them will benefit you in the new year. Just because you want to be a good friend doesn’t mean that you must be available 24/7, for instance. Rather than wearing yourself out before the end of January by falling back on old habits, take some time to think about your limitations mentally and emotionally. Then, clarify to those in both your professional and personal life what you can and cannot give of yourself.
#6 - Do Something To Help Others
If you want to approach your goals with renewed energy this year, consider volunteering your time, making financial donations, or helping with community projects you’re passionate about. This could be volunteering at a soup kitchen, participating in a neighborhood cleanup, or donating to a favorite charity. Research has shown that giving to others increases self-esteem and satisfaction with your life, which is precisely the kind of energy you want to bring into the new year.1
One more way to ensure that you start the year with more motivation is to reach out to Rivia Mind for mental health support. Our skilled and compassionate clinicians are here to help with therapy, medication management or both. Go into 2025 feeling more in control of your life rather than being controlled by mental illness. Contact us today to learn more or to book a free consultation.
Resources:
- How giving to others can boost mental and physical health – The University of Alabama at Birmingham
