How to Bounce Back from Holiday Fatigue as an Introvert or Tired Baby Boomer

We might look forward to the last holiday party – I know I am.

Or even look longingly at the last to-do item to buy the final holiday gift, even if we are avoiding the mall.

It’s not at all the situation of needing some mental health counseling but instead giving ourselves some ideas for our own mental health break away from the most hectic season of the year.

It comes around every year so let’s do what we can to bounce back from holiday fatigue whether we’re an introvert or a tired baby boomer.

We need or want time alone.

Don’t be frantic to figure out how to get your alone time when all the presents are unwrapped and the family visits are over. Get your plan together for “my time” now. Whatever it is you like the best. For me it means less activity on my calendar in the way of shopping, family visits and networking. Some of it will take care of itself naturally and some will need to be planned. Somehow seeing open spaces on my calendar is cause for a big sigh of relief.

Don’t be frantic to figure out how to get your alone time.

Prepare before all the presents are unwrapped and the family visits are over. Get your plan together for “my time” now. Whatever it is you like the best. For me it means less activity on my calendar in the way of shopping, family visits and networking. Some of it will take care of itself naturally and some will need to be planned. Somehow seeing open spaces on my calendar is cause for a big sigh of relief.

Work the stress out.

Maybe you want an excuse to actually get into exercise in the New Year? As a work out junkie I can tell you when the holiday ends I am into things like kickboxing instead of the softer type of exercise like Pilates. I want to move that built up stress out of me. Make the after holiday fatigue the perfect time to exercise to release the stress buildup.

Be in charge of yourself.

Many of us more introverted are in a relationship with an extrovert. This means that they are more likely to turn up the temperature for more festivities. No matter how time gets full of a party here and a gathering there, if you have to say, “No, go it alone,” then do it. There will be more of you to give for your loved one.

Practice moderation.

It might be eating, it might be gift giving, it might even be technology. As a baby boomer this life advice has to be my best friend. I can drink too much eggnog and those pounds won’t budge, so one to sip slowly works. I can feel overly generous and spend too much on gifts. As a way of coping from these too-much activities, television or even the Internet might creep more into my schedule. Decide what you don’t want to overdo and then, “everything in moderation.”

Mindfulness.

Holidays are often a time for emotions to enter into thoughts and conversations, good and bad. Sometimes family or friend issues surface when we would least like them to interfere with the holiday spirit. Let’s not get distracted with this because often it’s dredging up the past. Being mindful in its simplest definition is paying attention to the present. And the simplest way to practice it during the holidays is to focus in the moment on the parts of conversations and festiveness that make you feel good. Just notice your feeling, or thoughts, and then direct yourself to something positive if what you notice is anything else. Aaaaaahh.

The holidays are festive and fun and can give us some of the best life memories ever. But what good are those memories if we are either too stressed or too exhausted to enjoy them?

What do you do to bounce back from so many months in a row of festivities?

What do you do that works the most to get recharged and reenergized?