By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The holidays can be a great time of the year…a break from work or school and a chance to spend time with family and friends. Whenever the Christmas fun comes to an end, there can be a letdown when going “back to reality” or returning to a normal routine.
Dr. Patrick Stang, psychiatrist for the Center
for Counseling and Consultation in Great Bend, said there can be several
reasons for the post-holiday blues.
"Some of it is physiological," said Stang. "When you're in the holidays and people are coming, doing activities...you get a little bump in your adrenaline, serotonin and your dopamine in your brain. You get a little bit of a Christmas high. When that's over, your brain has to readjust, and there will be a depletion of those things in your body and brain."
Stang said for some people, it can take a while for your brain to reach
homeostasis, a state of normalcy with a balanced level of chemicals in your
body. There are also psychological reasons that cause post-holiday depression.
"Sometimes the vacation or the holidays don't meet your expectations," said Stang. "Maybe you were expecting a better gettogether with your family or maybe the turkey got burnt. People have big expectations that things will go perfectly like they do on TV. When they don't, people have regrets or have expectations that didn't get met."
Stang added the time of the year doesn’t help with holiday blues when the
weather is usually cold and cloudy, making it difficult to get out.
Part of dealing with holiday letdown is understanding you might have a few days
where you feel down and uninterested in doing anything. Stang mentioned eating
small quantities of dark chocolate can increase your serotonin levels.
If your depression lasts more than a few days, Stang recommended talking to a doctor, psychiatrist or a family member.
Listen below to the entire Mental Health Awareness show with Dr. Stang that aired on 1590 KVGB & 95.5 in 2021.