Script:

Hello, everyone, welcome back.

Last time we talked about what holiday blues are, and what cause them. Today I am going to talk about different situations and suggestions on how to cope with holiday blues.

1. Learn to say “no”. You are invited to, or are hosting family gatherings, or gatherings with friends and colleagues. You feel overwhelmed. You may not even want to attend these gatherings. If that is the case, learn to say “no”.  Overscheduling and not making time for yourself can lead to emotional breakdowns. Stay firm on your decisions.

How about taking a trip with your family and skipping all the gatherings?

2. If you are alone because you have lost a loved one, or have broken up with your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, do not stay at home alone, even though you really want to be away from everyone. Spend time with your friends and family and follow a routine. If you normally go to the gym twice a week, or go for walks and jogs regularly, don't skip. Getting out of your house and meeting people will make you feel better.

3. If you are feeling down, don’t watch Christmas movies where everyone is enjoying their lives. Often Christmas movies are over romanticized. Stay away from your friends’ posts on social media as well.

The following suggestions are for regardless of whether you are stressed or depressed.

4. Limit your alcohol use. It can have a negative effect on your mood and sleep.

5. Don't indulge on food. You will regret it when you gain a couple of pounds. Eat healthy.

6. Get enough sleep.

7. Buy yourself a small gift. This works the best for me when I am feeling down.

It is important to recognize how you are feeling. If you notice yourself feeling down, irritable, tearful, exhausted, or having difficulties with your sleep and appetite, it is time to ask for help.

Too often, we act on how we feel, rather than what we should be doing or what is best for us. We let our negative feelings take over, thoughts like, "I don't feel like seeing a friend", "I don't want to go out". When we are feeling down, we don't feel like doing anything, which makes us more down. So in order to get better, you should do something.

I have had holiday blues for the past couple of years, and I am not even sure why. Being surrounded by my family should be a happy situation, and yet I was sitting at home sulking. This year, we had a small family dinner on Christmas Eve. And I spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day sulking at home doing absolutely nothing. Suddenly I realized I had to do something to get out of the blues.  I decided to reach out to one of my girlfriends.  I asked her if she had any plans on New Year’s Day. She said she had got no plans and would love to meet. So we went out for Chinese food. A change of routine was good for her and me. Over dinner, I told her about my holiday blues and she told me she was having that too. She said she thought she was the only person that was feeling down during the holidays and had never told anyone, not even her husband. She felt relieved after opening up to me. I was happy we met that night.

Starting January 2, my mood was back to normal. The holiday blues disappeared all of a sudden.

Thank you for listening.

Grammar

Eat healthy or eat healthily

Grammatically, it should be ‘eat healthily’, however, ‘eat healthy’ has been widely used in books and media. So it is okay to say “eat healthy”.

Vocabulary

Sulk (verb) – be silent because you are in a bad mood or bad-tempered, annoyed; similar to ‘mope’.