Holiday hangover? Therapists say post-holiday fatigue may be worse this year because of pandemic – WAVY.com

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Are you dragging yourself out of bed, struggling to get back into a routine? Bummed that the holidays are over? Well, youre not alone. All of those feelings are part of something called post-holiday fatigue.

As we come out of the most wonderful time of the year, were also coming out of a really hectic time of the year.

For most people, from Thanksgiving to New Years Day, your life pretty much shifts, said Abby Morgan, a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Sea Level Counseling and Wellness in Norfolk.

Morgan says holidays are filled with excitement, but they are also filled with stress. Stress increases adrenaline and cortisol. When hormones drop off after the holidays, we feel it.

Maggie Grindrod, a behavioral health therapist with Sentara said, Theres been a high and with the high is going to come a crash, right? For a lot of people, thats what comes with the holiday blues. Theres all this excitement and there are presents and there are festivities and then its back to normal and we kind of crash and its a bummer.

Grindrod says this year, with the coronavirus pandemic still looming, the post-holiday blues will be worse than normal

Not only is it probably going to be more intense for many people, but longer lasting because when the holidays are over, that uncertainty, that change to the routine is still going to be there because of the pandemic, Grindrod said.

So how can we get through this period? Grindod and Morgan say give yourself some grace, know that youre not alone, and do your best to incorporate healthy habits.

As human beings, were adaptable and were able to shift, even if its scary and we dont really know, said Morgan. I think being able to kind of remind ourselves of what we went through and whats going on now and our intentions moving forward can be really empowering.

The therapists say getting back to a normal routine is also helpful.

For more information, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness website.

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Holiday hangover? Therapists say post-holiday fatigue may be worse this year because of pandemic - WAVY.com