Imagine this: you and your partner just finished an intense year of wedding planning followed by an intimate, romantic winter honeymoon. The past 12 months have likely been nonstop, full of exciting new adventures, challenges, and looking forward to the future.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, all the celebratory festivities that kept your calendar brimming are finished. There aren’t any tastings left to attend, alterations appointments to make, or late-night DIY projects to tend to; your honeymoon is really the final hurrah in your wedding journey.
After getting accustomed to such a fast-paced schedule, and having all eyes on you, a melancholy mood may start to encompass you. If you start to feel these post-wedding blues, here are five actionable ideas to implement into your everyday life to start feeling refreshed and re-inspired:
- Start to relive the memories
- Give yourself grace
- Focus on other tasks
- Plan dates and future trips
- Adopt a furry friend
1. START TO RELIVE THE MEMORIES
Photographers and videographers usually send sneak peeks of wedding galleries and teasers pretty quickly after your big day, so these should be ready for your viewing pleasure post-honeymoon. Take this opportunity to sit back and view some snippets of your wedding together, and begin to reminisce about all the amazing moments. Full albums generally take a couple of months to receive back from your photographer, so use this time to your advantage.
Plan a photo gallery viewing night in the future. It will be something special you will both look forward to. You can both pick out your favorite visuals to print, hang around your home, and create an album with. Reliving your “I Do’s” through printed imagery will help keep the memories alive in a way that your iPhone camera roll simply will not.
2. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
It’s completely normal to feel a bit downtrodden and empty after your wedding is over. After all, this event is something you’ve likely thought about your entire life and put a great deal of energy, effort, money, and let’s be honest, tears and stress toward. Don’t be too hard on yourself; it will take a bit of time to settle back into your normal routine.
However, it’s also possible to be suffering from post-wedding depression, which can be spurred by such a major life event. If it’s been a couple of months, and you still feel like something is off, try talking to a medical professional about depression medication online, which may be a helpful solution for you.
It’s imperative that you take the necessary steps to get your mental health back on track and remember, you are not alone. Your union of love is meant to signal the start of an abundant and joyous-filled time; don’t let the toll of your sullen thoughts spoil this for you.
3. FOCUS ON OTHER TASKS
Once reality starts to sink in, you might be left feeling unfulfilled after such a crazy year. Don’t fret, there are still some wedding-related tasks that you can add back onto your to-do list that often get overlooked and will start lifting your spirits once again.
- If you plan on changing your last name, a service like Newly Named will help make the process seamless and easy. Their name change kits are designed with easy, step-by-step instructions.
- Re-sell your wedding decor. Look for large Facebook groups or search “Wedding Tik Tok” and you’ll be well on your way to recouping some of your hard-earned cash. The upcycled wedding community is extremely plentiful, and there are so many brides searching for decor on a budget. This is the ideal opportunity for you to take some time to comb through your inventory, list your items, and watch the sales start to flow.
- Write thoughtful, handwritten thank you notes to your wedding guests. This gesture goes a long way and is extremely appreciated. Remember the life-changing excursion you embarked on while on your honeymoon? You are definitely going to want to say thank you to the loved ones who gifted you that piece of your happily ever after.
4. PLAN DATES AND FUTURE TRIPS
Just because you’ve tied the knot doesn’t mean all the excitement has to end. Continue to plan intimate date nights, prioritize togetherness, and book plane tickets to bucket-list travel destinations. Don’t stop exploring and getting to know one another, and avoid becoming complacent. If you do, that’s when the real unhappiness and blues stick around.
Aim to create a habit of bi-monthly or once-a-month date nights, where you pick a new restaurant or couple hobbies to try out to keep the spark alive. Sexy dates and cementing future travel plans will not only give you both something to look forward to but will help foster and instill a sense of resilience and playfulness within your partnership.
5. ADOPT A FURRY FRIEND
If you are truly ready for another one of life’s big and most treasured commitments, adopting a furry companion could be something to consider. Studies have shown that mental health can significantly improve in an animal’s presence. By adding a dog or cat into your life, you may find a newfound sense of purpose in your marriage.
Learning how to nurture and care for an animal, together, might just offer the resurgence of happiness and energy you are searching for. If you have become accustomed to filling your free time with wedding-related activities, you can now swap this habit and create new rituals with your pet and partner. Incorporate daily dog walks, which are a powerful activity that, along with other potential health benefits, can help alleviate:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Tension
If you return from your honeymoon feeling depleted, lost, or even bored, remember that this is normal. Dopamine levels are at an all-time high and then come crashing down. It will take a little while to find your groove again; be patient. Implement some of these steps to make small improvements and over time, life will start unfolding again, just the way it’s supposed to.