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Changes can help curb post-holiday blues

The months of January, February, March and even April see higher incidences of depression and related emotional problems. It's not hard to figure out why.

Emotional peaks are often followed by emotional valleys. If the end-of-the-year holiday celebrations are a time of joy, satisfaction and intimacy, the return to normalcy likely involves the return to a more mixed emotional life.

Similarly, if we expected the holidays would bring such emotional highs and they failed to deliver, our sense of disappointment can be overwhelming. And our post-holiday analysis may not only lead us to conclude that we found less emotional reward than we had anticipated, but that a variety of factors may have left us with a number of regrets.

The family squabble, the weight gained, the time off not taken, the expenses incurred - all can come to roost in the weeks and months that follow.

Environmental factors also play a part. Shorter days and overcast skies deprive us of mood-lifting sunlight. Frigid temperatures limit our outside activities and physical exertion. An overfull work, school and home life with few breaks can wear us out physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Fortunately, a good deal of research has been done on how to climb out of our new year's emotional valleys. Here's a short list of what we can do:

• Eat right. We want to stay away from fatty, sugary, starchy foods. A low fat, high fiber, vitamin- and mineral-rich diet will improve our mood. (It's a biochemical thing.)

• Sleep right. The average person needs about eight hours; we need to get as much as we need to feel rested.

• Exercise. We'll have more energy, be healthier and increase our self-esteem if we get at least 30 minutes of physical exercise each day. We can dust off the exercise equipment in the basement or head down to the local Y or health club.

• Stay involved. We want to identify the people in our lives who lift our spirits and spend time with them. On the other hand, we want to avoid people who continually bring us down.

• Meditate and/or pray. Spiritual centeredness can lead to emotional centeredness. Investing ourselves in strengthening our spiritual life is a powerful antidepressant.

• Take a break/add variety. We can vary our normal schedule, plan a getaway weekend, take an adult education class, or introduce any number of changes into our lives to break up the post-holiday routine.

• Get help. This may be the time to consider getting some professional assistance. Some people, for example, benefit from light deprivation treatment. Addressing our nutritional, fitness or spiritual concerns with a consultant might help. Or finding a good individual, couple or family therapist who can help us deal with our own personal or relational concerns may be called for.

Though post-holiday depression may be transitory and fade with spring's arrival, it is not necessary to simply suffer through the first four months of the year. Taking some of the steps above will make a significant positive difference in our short-term and long-term emotional health.

• Dr. Ken Potts is on the staff of Samaritan Counseling Center in Naperville and Downers Grove. He is the author of "Mix Don't Blend, A Guide to Dating, Engagement and Remarriage With Children."

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