The turkey and ham has been eaten, the carols have been sung, the fireworks have popped off for New Years, and now it's January first, and it is starting to get quiet. No family or friends are calling to line up the next holiday dinner, or festivities. The Christmas tree and decorations are starting to look more like a chore than something we enjoy. It's almost like the holiday magic is disappearing before our eyes.
The after holiday blues are setting in heavy.
I just wanted to take a moment to talk about how this is a normal feeling and maybe give you a different perspective to this time of year.
Because of the constant stimulation over the last couple of months, when things come to slow down, our mind and bodies start to race.
I encourage you to start thinking of positive things that can come of the new year and slowing down.
I, personally, love this time! I have ADHD, so the holidays tend to be very over stimulating for me. This is when I feel like I can finally take a deep breath. During the holidays i feel like I am constantly having to pick and prioritize people in my life, and in turn, disappoint people that I care about. I have to limit spending and pick who and how much I am going to shop for. It's just a whole mess.
When January first comes, it means we have made it through the busiest time of year! haha! We can now have a better opportunity to invest in ourselves! Maybe it's signing up for that class to get a certification in something, or signing up for a membership somewhere that you have been nervous about. It could be making a new commitment to yourself, or someone else... or picking up a new book!
I like to start off the new year by putting away all of my decorations, and then diving straight into cleaning and purging.
When I first started doing this at this time of year, I would make a list. "Kitchen" and then list ALL of the things that I wanted to do in my kitchen. You know me, I love a good list!
Now that this has been apart of my new year routine for a while, I don't make as detailed as a list, I just kind of jump right in! I start off in my kitchen and go through every cabinet and drawer getting rid of things I don't use or need. This includes going through old medications, plastic containers, and cups/lids that don't match up. Then I clean the things that I typically don't usually clean, like my oven and stove top, microwave, wipe down my appliances and cabinets, etc.
After I am done with the kitchen, I move to the dining and living area. There isn't much hoarding going on in these spaces during the year, so I am able to get to the cleaning part a little quicker. I dust and rearrange the shelves where my Christmas decorations were, dust the ceiling fan, spot clean any couches, or stains.
So on and so forth.... room to room. Please keep in mind, this is not a one day task. This usually takes me several days. Once it is over I feel SO much better about the space that we live in. Not only have we decluttered, but we have deep cleaned. This is very important for your health in many ways. It also distracts you from that lonely feeling you may be experiencing during the "after holiday blues".
Doing these things at the beginning of the year has really made me actually look forward to this time of year. Getting to reset my health, my home, my budget, my life is a huge deal that requires intentionality.
I am curious, what are your thoughts and feelings during this time of year? What do you like to do, or wish you could do differently as we are approaching the new year?
I hope that this blog has been inspiring and encouraging to you, and please remember there is no right or wrong way to feel. We are here for you and want to be apart of this wellness journey with you! Please reach out if you have any questions, need help, or encouragement on how to kick off your new year!
My most warm wishes for you and your family in the next year!
<3,
Mak
