Hello Everyone,
I hope you all had a great Easter- filled with love, laughter, kite flying and chocolate. I went to Regatta in Bartica this year for the first time. I always enjoy Bartica but this trip was especially nice as I love to see progression. The streets were very clean, even though it was a holiday weekend, and everyone seemed to be out of their house and in a good mood. The play parks in the area were filled with children, responsible supervision and laughter.
I have to be honest with the progression I saw when it comes to events like Regatta. I was there for about five hours, walking up and down the beach. I didn’t smell marijuana once nor did I see any fights- which I believe indirectly means that alcohol wasn’t abused too much either. It was very pleasant to be around.
Now, I’d like to reach out to the people who may be suffering and find it difficult to “start back real life” after holidays. People who suffer from mental health issues don’t typically get into the holiday spirit – they actually tend to feel worse as they cannot understand why they can’t/ don’t want to celebrate as others do.
If the holidays were difficult for you, maybe now that it is over, you have accepted the situation and are willing to seek the professional help you might need.
I’d also like to explain why some of us- even if we aren’t suffering from mental health issues- might have had a hard time going back to work and getting back on track.
Even if you aren’t suffering from any mental health issues, holidays can be quite stressful as there is pressure to be social, cook and clean more, diet more, decorate more, entertain more – all of which can cause financial strain which may lead to extra stress and anxiety.
During Easter, there could have been overindulgence in so many things by so many people. Remember that drugs like alcohol and marijuana are depressants and sedatives. It will be enjoyed at the moment, sure, but five days of holiday, drinking and smoking can lead to days of feeling lethargic, tired, sad, guilty, sleep deprived, money deprived and so on, especially since very few of us exercised this holiday. If you feel like this, I want you to know that it’s only temporary and that better days are coming.
As I’ve mentioned time and time again alcohol, being a depressant, means that it slows down both your body and mind, literally depressing them. With the amount of alcohol that was most likely consumed, it’s important that we all stay away from alcohol for a while.

Why else might you still be feeling this way? A lot of us, myself included, ate so much chocolate. That’s kind of what’s supposed to happen around Easter, but what does all that sugar do to us?
It absorbs quickly in our blood streams which gives us energy. However, this is only for a short period of time before the sugar crash. This roller coaster of highs and lows are very similar to what individuals who suffer from depression or bi-polar disorder may feel.
A suggestion? Try dark chocolate instead. Dark chocolate has been known to be good for cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and better for the waistline as well since it has less sugar. Of course, it’s still chocolate, so try not to overindulge anyway.
This is also the same for high intakes of caffeine. Caffeine at times can worsen anxiety and obviously prevent sleep, which is vital for good mental health.
What about the fatty foods we all ate? Every time I passed a fast food place that was open, it was full. New research shows that foods with high fat put people at risk for depression and anxiety. It was also found that a high fat diet can also interfere with memory impairment
Now, after all the holidays, what can we do to get back on track?
First and most important thing is to value and nourish your mind and body.
Do some productive reading and other things that relax you. Exercise and eat well. Stay away from all drugs- including alcohol and tobacco- for a while. Surround yourself with good people/ influences.
Set new goals. I imagine a lot of our goals were for Easter. For example, the reason most of us were exercising hard and saving money was for Easter. It’s normal to have to transfer those behaviours into a summer reward now.
To those of you who wanted to get help but could not because of the holidays, I hope you still have the courage to seek help after.
Please don’t forget to write in to caitlinvieira@gmail.com and let me know what you would like to talk about.
Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!