Coping With Post-Holiday Anxiety: Steps to Regain Balance

For many people, anxiety does not end when the holidays are over. In fact, the weeks following the holiday season can feel unexpectedly heavy. The structure, distractions, and social obligations disappear, leaving behind emotional fatigue, financial stress, disrupted routines, and unresolved family dynamics. This experience—often referred to as post-holiday anxiety—is common and understandable.

If you are finding it difficult to reorient after the holidays, the following strategies can help you ground yourself and move forward with intention.

1. Normalize the Letdown

The holidays often come with heightened expectations: connection, joy, rest, or closure. Holiday also bring a lot of other emotions too including grief, frustration or anger. When real life resumes, the contrast can feel stark. Feeling anxious, low, or irritable does not mean something is “wrong” with you—it means your nervous system is adjusting after an intense period of stimulation and demand. Naming this as a normal transition can reduce self-judgment and secondary anxiety.

2. Re-Establish Predictable Routines

During the holidays, routines around sleep, meals, movement, and work are often disrupted. Anxiety thrives in unpredictability. Returning to simple, consistent daily rhythms—waking up at the same time, eating regular meals, scheduling work blocks—can send signals of safety and stability to the nervous system.

Start small. You do not need a complete life overhaul; even one or two anchor habits can make a meaningful difference.

3. Address Residual Emotional Stress

Family interactions, unmet expectations, or difficult conversations often linger after the holidays end. Rather than pushing these feelings aside, consider setting aside intentional time to process them—through journaling, talking with a trusted person, or working with a therapist. Unprocessed emotions tend to resurface as anxiety, irritability, or exhaustion.

4. Be Mindful of Financial Anxiety

Holiday spending can lead to post-holiday financial stress, which is a significant anxiety trigger. Avoid catastrophizing. Instead, focus on concrete, manageable steps: reviewing balances, creating a short-term plan, and identifying what is within your control. Anxiety often decreases when uncertainty is replaced with clarity—even if the situation itself is not ideal.

5. Limit Overstimulation

After weeks of socializing, travel, and noise, your nervous system may be overstimulated. Build in quiet, low-demand time. This might include reducing screen time, spending time outdoors, practicing slow breathing, or engaging in calming activities that do not require productivity or performance.

6. Set Gentle, Realistic Goals

The pressure to start the new year “strong” can unintentionally increase anxiety. Instead of rigid resolutions, consider setting values-based intentions. Ask yourself:

• What do I want more of this year?

• What do I need less of?

• What is one small step I can take this month?

Progress does not require urgency.

7. Know When to Seek Support

If anxiety feels persistent, overwhelming, or is interfering with sleep, work, or relationships, professional support can be helpful. Therapy can provide space to process post-holiday stress, identify underlying patterns, and develop tools to regulate anxiety more effectively. If you would like support navigating this transition, consider reaching out to a licensed mental health professional.

Reilly Counseling PLLC offers individual therapy to adolescents and adults living in Texas. Specialty areas include anxiety, trauma and self harm. Insurance is accepted. Reach out to schedule an appointment.