The Day after Valentine’s Day

 

The day after Valentine’s Day is its own kind of holiday — quieter, unadorned, and strangely revealing. It’s the emotional hangover after the glitter has settled. The flowers are still on the table, but they’ve already begun their slow wilt. The chocolates have been picked over. The cards sit open on the counter, their sweetness suddenly louder in the stillness.

The day after joy always has a different temperature.

It’s not just Valentine’s Day. It’s the day after a long‑awaited trip, the day after a family gathering that briefly made the world feel whole, the day after a celebration where you let yourself forget the hard parts of life. When the music stops, the silence can feel like a drop in altitude. You land back in your real life with a soft thud.

There’s something sobering about that return.
Sometimes even depressing.

Because joy — real joy — lifts us. It suspends the weight we carry. It lets us forget the logistics, the griefs, the responsibilities, the chronic worries that hum in the background of adulthood. And when the moment ends, everything we set down is still there, waiting patiently for us to pick it back up.

The day after is when we feel the contrast most sharply.

It’s the reminder that happiness is fleeting, but so is heaviness. That life is made of these oscillations — the bright peaks and the quiet valleys. And that the valleys aren’t failures; they’re simply the body and mind recalibrating after a stretch of emotional altitude.

If anything, the day after teaches us how human we are.
How sensitive.
How porous to joy, and therefore to its absence.

But there’s a small grace in this too: the day after is honest. It’s the place where we integrate what the celebration gave us. It’s where we decide what to carry forward. It’s where we remember that joy isn’t a destination — it’s a visitor. And like any visitor, it leaves behind traces: a softened heart, a moment of connection, a reminder that we are still capable of feeling deeply.

The day after may be somber, but it’s also where real life resumes — slower, quieter, and maybe a little wiser.

 

post inspired by Depression Anonymous by Dennis Ortman, which recently reached #79 on Amazon in emotional self-help.

Book Description:

When you feel depressed, suffering from a deep sadness, do you feel powerless over your mood? Does your life feel unmanageable because of it? Does your preoccupation with past hurts and regrets interfere with your life? Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your depression? If you answer "yes" to these questions, you may be addicted to your mood. It acts like a drug that sedates, numbs, and possesses you, causing you to sleepwalk through life.

Viewing your depressed mood as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to find healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer practical wisdom to awaken your spirit deadened by your depression. The Steps provide guidance for your personal journey into the darkness of your mood so that you can discover your true self and release the Power within you.

Comment from President and Founder, Psychological Counseling Services Ltd

Dr. Dennis Ortman does an incredible job with his books. He does an excellent job of using the 12 Steps to provide practical guidance for the millions of people who have problems where anger, depression, or anxiety rise to the top in terms of "the presenting problem" in their lives when they come for therapy. His books provide very useful tools to deal with getting to a better place and having a life that functions better, including more serenity.

Ralph H. Earle, PHD, ABPP, MDiv, LMFT, CSAT
President and Founder
Psychological Counseling Services, Ltd (PCS)
Scottsdale, AZ

THIS BOOK WAS SELECTED AS A FINALIST FOR
BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

(FOREWORD REVIEWS)

For more posts about Dennis and his books, click HERE.

For more information about this book, click HERE.

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