Your Complete Guide to Santa Shock Recovery

The holidays are over, and with the start of a new year, there often comes a bad case of “Santa shock”. The house may be overrun with wrapping paper and holiday decor that’s waiting to be sorted and organized. Your sleep schedule is far from typical and your daily workout has turned into a monthly guilt-forced occurrence. All this points to the reality that those credit card bills are lurking just around the corner! That’s why we’ve put together a complete guide to Santa Shock Recovery.

The good news is, that all it takes is some self-care and planning to make a full recovery from your case of Santa shock. Here are four ways you can bounce back from the post-holiday slump to start the year off on the right foot. 

Declutter and reorganize

If your home looks like a battleground of wrapping paper and leftover decorations, it’s time to get organized! To ease the overwhelm, try to move all the clutter into one area. Then make a list of all you need to do to get your home looking liveable. This can include taking down the holiday decorations, recycling or restoring them properly, and donating or discarding items you no longer want to keep. Finally, enlist the help of all the members of your household to divide and conquer the items on your list. In no time, your living space will look neat and organized again.

Reestablish routine

It’s not unusual for all parts of your daily schedule to fall apart during the holidays. Getting back into a normal routine can be challenging, but the sooner you take that leap, the easier it’ll be to segue back into real life. Try to set a regular sleep schedule, plan balanced meals, and reintegrate exercise into your daily life. Returning to a structured routine will help you feel more grounded and reduce the disorientation that often accompanies the post-holiday season.

Help your budget recover

If you’re like most Americans, the holiday season likely left a huge hole in your budget. Between gifts, decor, hosting, and travel costs, the expenses of the season are endless! Get your budget back on track when the season’s over with these tips:

• Consider a no-spend month. Resolve to only spend money on essentials for the entire month after the holidays—no online shopping, dining out, or any other purchases that are not necessary. Consider putting the money you don’t spend into any lingering debt you might have acquired during the month prior. This will help your budget get back on track quickly.
• Assess your holiday spending. Your first instinct upon getting that first post-holiday credit card statement might be to pretend it doesn’t exist, but ignoring reality never makes it go away. Take a look at how much you spent so you have an idea of what amount, if any, you need to pay off now.
• Make a plan for any carryover debt. If you used your credit card (i.e. borrowed money) a bit too much during the holidays, try to pay off your bills as soon as possible. Maximize payments as much as you can and channel any extra funds from trimmed expenses toward paying down your debt. 
• Consider opening a holiday club account for next year. It’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s holiday season. A holiday club account will allow you to spread out the cost of the holidays across the rest of the year so you are better able to pay for all of the season’s expenses without taking on new debt. 
• Explore your options to manage debt. If after assessing your debt, you feel overwhelmed consider applying for a debt consolidation loan. Debt consolidation loans can help you consolidate your debt into one low monthly payment so you can pay down debt faster.

Prioritize self-care

The holidays can be demanding, which can leave you feeling drained. This is especially true if you’ve hosted a crowd this season. To fully recover from Santa shock, prioritize self-care in the weeks after the holidays. This means taking time to meet your own needs, whether that entails reading a book, going for a walk, meeting friends for coffee, or indulging in a spa day. Remember that self-care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for re-energizing yourself and maintaining your well-being. 

The end of the holidays can leave you feeling like a tornado swept through your house, daily routine, and budget. Follow the strategic tips outlined here to ease the transition back into some normalcy.