10 ways to beat the January blues

byGail-UK

3.2K followers

Updated 2 days ago

It’s January. If you live in the northern hemisphere, you’ll most likely be experiencing short days, cold nights, dreary weather and even some snow. We had that here yesterday: not enough to really enjoy or play in, but enough to make me want to hunker down with a warm drink, my fluffy socks and my cats!

Sometimes, as January creeps into our consciousness, the excitement of the festive season begins to wane, especially when we receive our credit card statements and return to the humdrum of daily life. It’s called the ‘January blues’- a mixture of lethargy, depression and a general dissatisfaction with life.

However, there are some simple but effective ways to beat these feelings and reset your year to start feeling your best. Here are my top 10!

1. Embrace the outdoors

Spending time outdoors, and getting exposure to natural light, even on cloudy days, can boost your energy levels and mood. Exposure to sunlight helps regulate our body’s circadian rhythms and increases the production of good-feeling hormones such as serotonin, often called the happiness hormone. There are lots of things you could do: get into your garden, go for a walk, or just visit a local park for a few minutes each day.

2. Practice meditation and mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness are proven strategies for decreasing stress and improving your mental health and emotional well-being. They don’t take long – 15 minutes a day of quieting your mind and focusing on your breath, some positive affirmations or some calming music can help enormously.

3. Set realistic goals

Sometimes January brings with it a deluge of New Year’s Resolutions that many of us have given up by day 3! This year, set yourself a maximum of 3 goals that are realistic. Set one that you will achieve easily within the week; another that will take more effort but should be completed in the month; and one more that is longer-term that you can work towards over time. And celebrate the little wins as you achieve them.

4. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude

Gratitude can lift your mood and actually has a great effect on helping the universe bring you the things you want. There are always things to be grateful for if you look around, like the people you love, your pets, the clothes you wear, the air you breathe… the list goes on. There are many online affirmation and gratitude videos you can find online too to help if you are struggling. Saying ‘thank you’ and being appreciative of even challenging situations, really is a recipe for success.

5. Connect with others

If you are struggling with the January blues, call on your friends and family to help. Find things to do in the dark nights: play a board game, go to a movie, have a pamper night, or just invite some friends around for a drink. After all, laughter really is the best medicine so up your intake of it!

6. Eat a healthy diet

After the excesses that many of us indulge in over Christmas, make January a time that you nourish your body by eating healthy and nutritious foods and include plenty of fruits and vegetables and lean meats if you eat meat. If you have lots of chocolates of sugar-laden treats left after the festive season, you can still eat them but limit yourself so as not to increase your sugar levels too much. Denying yourself all your favourite things can seem depressing and add to a low mood if you are already in the doldrums so rather than avoiding all your favourites, try to swap them for healthy options.

7. Get enough sleep

Quality sleep is essential for our mental health and wellbeing so get into a regular sleep pattern by going to bed and getting up at around the same time each day. Obviously there will be exceptions, but developing a sleep routine can help with sleep problems. Avoid a lot of screen time just before bed, trying reading a book, listening to some music or doing some meditation instead of checking your emails or over-stimulating your mind.

8. Be creative

As a creative person, one of my favourite ways to beat the January blues is to engage in activities that are artistic or creative. It could be DIY, writing, music, arts and crafts or cooking (although I’m famously not very good at that!) It doesn’t matter what you do but try to create something new to take your mind off the miserable weather. Writing blogs and working your way through Wealthy Affiliate would also be a great way to create something new this year.

9. Get active

Exercise is great for your mental health but it doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. You can get active doing things you love, and in fact, if you love the exercise you do, you’re more likely to stick at it. So consider dancing, ice-skating, jogging, swimming, tai chi or anything else that takes your fancy. And remember that good old fashioned walking counts as exercise to, so take the dog or the kids to the park and have a go on that seesaw!

10. Seek help if needed

If you find it hard to beat the January blues and they begin to prevent you from continuing with your daily life, then consider getting some professional support. The first port of call for most would be a visit to their GP but there are other options or therapists and coaches as well. Asking for help when you need it is a sign of strength, not weakness, so don’t be afraid to seek assistance.

And finally…

January will not last forever; the days are already getting longer and soon the flowers will start to bloom and spring will be in the air. In the meantime, be kind to yourself, give yourself some self-care and self-love and you’ll beat those January blues hands down!