After the presents have been opened, the New Year's celebrations are over, and your vacation break from work is done, the post holiday depression may take over your life. Maybe you have gained a few pounds eating uncontrollably during the holiday break or you've tipped a few more drinks than you typically would. Post holiday depression is the mental distress that never fails to come about after the winter holidays and festival season. Some people find this time very stressful. This is a temporary phase but needs to be addressed so that it does not have a long lasting effect on your life. There are a few things you can do to push this holiday depression away. Expect the let-down The holiday season is both joyful and stressful at once. There is family, gifts to buy and return, people to visit, activities to throw yourself into, plenty of festive food to eat, sales to rush to, and parties to plan and attend. Topped off with the excitement of New Year's Eve, your adrenaline has probably been pumping a lot of the time during the Christmas and New Year's period. Returning to the usual routine and probably quieter workplace than normal can dampen your spirits just by the absence of exciting things to do and look forward to. Equally, if your Christmas and New Year's Eve period wasn't as enjoyable as you had hoped, you can be left feeling let down about the lack of enjoyment you'd expected and this can sour your mood. Expecting to feel a little low is a way of telling yourself that this is a normal feeling and that it will soon pass once the routine re-establishes itself. Look at the brighter side The good side to the end of the holidays is that you've had a chance to rest, to relax, and to enjoy yourself. The craziness prior to Christmas has ended both at the workplace and in the home, and the restful time after Christmas and New Year's Eve has hopefully given you the opportunity to do things that are different from your usual routine. And any break in the routine is good for the spirit, providing you with the chance to rejuvenate.Take it easy when you're settling back down into your usual routine. Your more rested self is a good thing and gives you an opportunity to take a renewed perspective on your work, routine, study, or home life pace. Perhaps the break has given you perspective on your life, job, relationships etc. If so, this is a good time to consider making changes to improve your situation, especially because not making the changes can prolong your post holiday depression. Get active During the holiday season a lot of us tend to get away from our normal routine. Getting back to the workouts and starting a new workout, in case there's none to get back to, provides us with positive distractions. Exercise is the easiest way to get into a good mood zone. And it certainly will help rid those unwanted pounds that always seem to crop up during the holiday season. Organize With all of the time that you spend inside during the winter months one thing that you could do is to decide to take a more organized approach to your life. Organization should add simplification to your life which should alleviate anxiety. Do not underestimate the power of organizing your life. It makes a big difference in dealing with unexpected circumstances that life can throw at you. Continue being around people Some of the post-holiday season blues might be related to having been around many people over the Christmas break and then suddenly finding yourself surrounded by people you don't know that well, or even not by many people at all. Lift your spirits by continuing to stay connected with friends and family, and getting out and about to do activities where other people interact with you.