Post Christmas Anxiety: Feeling low or anxious after Christmas? 

Do you struggle with post Christmas anxiety? The build up and the rushing around are all over. You stop and pause. And you experience a wave of anxiety, low mood and negativity.

You knew the Christmas pressure would pass but you also know how you usually feel once it’s all over. Every year, many people experience a sudden dip in mood or a rise in anxiety in the days after Christmas. It’s a sort of post Christmas emotional crash or holiday letdown. It can feel confusing, especially if you’ve enjoyed the festive period or feel you should be grateful and content.

If you feel anxious or low after Christmas, then you may find the days after are harder and more draining than the build up. Once the pressure, anticipation and activity stop, you may notice a sudden drop in mood, anxiety without a clear cause and that you feel emotional or even tearful. You start overthinking everything, have trouble relaxing and may have trouble sleeping.

The most frustrating part is that you looked forward to these quieter days. They were a sort of reward to look forward to and that you used to push on in the build up to Christmas itself. Just when you think you can enjoy relaxing and resting, you get post Christmas anxiety, sometimes called a post Christmas emotional crash.

Like all anxiety, once it starts, you may have trouble stopping it. You dwell on how bad you feel and worry about it continuing. You start to think about how you will cope in January if you haven’t had time to recharge. And outside of your normal routine, those anxious thoughts and feelings can expand and accelerate. You find yourself feeling lower, more drained and more anxious.

In this article I’ll be covering why anxiety increases after Christmas, and more importantly, how to calm your post Christmas anxiety.

 

Post Christmas Anxiety: A Quick Explanation

In short:

Post Christmas anxiety is a normal nervous system response that happens when emotional intensity, stress and adrenaline drop suddenly after Christmas. It can leave you feeling flat, anxious, unsettled or emotionally drained – even if Christmas itself was okay or good.

The experience is very common and does not mean something is wrong with you.

• Post Christmas anxiety is a common nervous system response after the festive period.
• Symptoms include low mood, irritability, lack of motivation, and overthinking.
• It often peaks between 26 December – early January.
• Coping strategies include mindfulness, structure, and recognising that the feelings are temporary.

 

What is a Post Christmas Emotional Crash?

A post Christmas emotional crash describes the emotional and physical dip that can happen between 26 December and early January.

Having been through Christmas day itself (and regardless of how it went) you start feeling flat or empty. It’s like the preceding busy weeks suddenly hit you the moment you stop rushing around. You suffer a loss of motivation and struggle to get on with things. Your brain feels foggy and you experience a real dip. There is heightened anxiety and you may feel lethargic and irritable.

You may feel frustrated that the days you should be able to relax and reset are filled with uncomfortable feelings and unwanted thoughts. Everything seems to require too much energy and effort. You probably want to just curl up and look at screens to escape from the outside world and from you own head.

While others seem to be enjoying their post Christmas days, you feel terrible. You may start to feel like you are wasting your days and you worry about how you are going to cope when you have to start doing things.

For some people it can also trigger panic symptoms: Panic Attacks at Christmas

 

Why Does Anxiety Increase After Christmas?

There are several contributory reasons why anxiety can increase after Christmas.

1. The nervous system adrenaline drop

December keeps you in ‘push on and push through’ mode. You keep going and going.

Once Christmas passes the adrenaline, stress and persistence drop quickly. Anxiety and low mood can strike.

This is closely linked to: Festive Exhaustion and Overwhelm

 

2. Loss of structure and routine

Between Christmas and New Year, time often feels unstructured.

Without your normal routine, anxious thoughts can feel louder, noisier and harder to manage. They fill the space where usual life busyness would normally be.

 

3. Delayed emotional processing

Emotions often surface after busy periods, not during them.

This often causes confusion. Everything should be more settled but your anxiety increases. It’s like everything catching up with you just when you think you can rest.

Post Christmas anxiety frequently overlaps with:

End of Year Reflection Anxiety and Overthinking

 

4. Family triggered emotions linger

Christmas can be filled with family interactions, memories, old roles and grievances.

Even when the family time is over, your emotional reactions can continue.

This is common after: Family Triggered Anxiety at Christmas

 

5. Anticipation of January pressure

With the build up and Christmas Day over, thoughts about work, routines and expectations can start to feed into your anxiety.

This often leads to New Year anxiety: New Year Anxiety: Preparing Yourself Mentally for January (coming soon)

 

How Post Christmas Anxiety Can Affect You

Post Christmas anxiety can impact:

• Mood and confidence
• Sleep quality
• Focus and concentration
• Appetite
• Emotional regulation

Sleep disruption is common, take a look here: December Sleep Anxiety 

 

How to Calm Post Christmas Anxiety

In summary: Calming post Christmas anxiety means supporting your nervous system, not forcing motivation or positivity.

It’s all about calming your anxious thoughts and feelings and regaining calmness, confidence and inner comfort.

 

1. Normalise the response

Remind yourself that your mind and body are recalibrating after a busy period. It’s a brief recovery before recharging and moving forward.

Reiterating that this is normal, okay and will pass can help reduce your anxiety. You avoid fearing the anxiety.

 

2. Reintroduce structure  

Start gradually bringing back some structure into your day. Have regular meals, stay hydrated, do some daily walking or exercise.

It also helps to bring back in regular sleep routines and times and to set one small goal a day that you can accomplish.

 

3. Ground the nervous system

It can be easy for your anxious mind to start thinking the worst. You start to dread things and worry how you’ll cope.

Simple mindfulness techniques can help you interrupt anxiety, bring back to now and help you feel calmer: Mindfulness for Anxiety & Stress During Festive Chaos

You may also like to listen to my free hypnosis relaxation audio to help calm your mind and body: Rapid Relaxation Hypnosis

 

4. Avoid emotional pressure

Be okay with taking some time to look after yourself. You don’t need to feel grateful, positive or motivated right now. Avoid telling yourself that you ‘should’ be doing this or feeling that.

Take some time and look after yourself. Even better, look to take part in some of the enjoyable and fulfilling little things that you can’t always find time for the rest of the year. Do some light reading, watch that film, do some crafts or whatever else gently engages your mind and brings you peace and comfort.

 

5. Be mindful of alcohol

Alcohol can increase anxiety after the initial calming relaxing response wears off. You end up feeling worse overall. Have a read here: Alcohol Anxiety: Why Drinking Can Increase Anxiety

It’s also worth being mindful of nicotine, sugar and caffeine as these can also negatively impact upon a post Christmas emotional crash .

 

Can Hypnotherapy Help Post Christmas Anxiety?

Yes – many people find this period particularly helpful for therapy.

Hypnotherapy can help you:

• Calm your nervous system
• Reduce emotional overwhelm
• Improve sleep
• Feel calmer and more in control
• Boost confidence heading into January
• Break anxiety cycles to end the escalating spiral

You move from dread, fear and anxiety to calm, confidence and feeling in control over your thoughts and feelings.

Learn more here: Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

In short: Feeling anxious, low or emotionally flat after Christmas is common – and can be temporary.

With the right help and support, you can interrupt anxious thoughts and feelings. You can move into January feeling calm, confident, energised and motivated.

If you could use some help then do get in touch and book your free initial consultation. We’ll talk through where you are now and how we can soon help you start feeling better and better in yourself.

To your health and happiness,

Dan Regan

Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

 

Find out more about anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket: Anxiety Hypnotherapy

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