It’s easy to find yourself down in the dumps during January. The cold weather, dark days and depleted funds (thanks Christmas!) do nothing to help. Not to mention the constant chatter about a ‘new year, new start, new you.’ It’s enough to induce a headache and bring out your bottom lip.
But it’s not unusual to feel a little bit ‘meh’ as we continue to navigate the bleakest season of the year. November and December are in the bag, but January can often feel relentless. In fact, you’ve probably heard the term ‘January blues’ being bandied about – a form of depression caused by the comedown from the festive season. For some people that means feeling low for a few days, but for others it can last weeks.
According to the BACP website, Sally Brown, a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy-registered therapeutic coach, notes a peak in enquiries every January.
“It’s a challenging time of the year,” she says. “For many of us, by January 21st, the ‘new year, new you’ enthusiasm is waning, and the optimism for the year ahead has been worn down by the prospect of more weeks of cold, dark days. Our instincts are often to retreat indoors and avoid social interaction, but in doing so, we risk further lowering our mood.”
Brown goes on to explain: “By January, we may also be feeling the effects of lack of sunlight and vitamin D on our energy levels and mood. All of these elements can undermine our resilience, which can also exacerbate existing stress, anxiety or dissatisfaction with life. Low mood can trigger ruminating and overthinking which puts us at risk of depression.”
But what can you do to boost your mood and beat the January blues?
Let’s Go Outside
There’s nothing like time spent outside to soothe your soul and make your heart sing. Whatever the weather. So wrap up warm and head into the great outdoors. A walk, a run, or just a potter in the garden will do plenty to life your spirits.
Breathe
How often do you sit and simply breathe? Noticing the inhale and exhale of your breath? No emails, phones, or music to distract you. Just you and your lungs, doing your thing. Make time to gather your thoughts, enjoy some silence, and breathe. Long, deep and slow works best.
Take a break from technology
This one’s tough, right? But time away from your phone, laptop and even the TV is known to improve your mood. Getting away from a screen, even for an hour or so helps you to live better in the moment, increases productivity, is better for your bedtime routine and forces you to look up. All good for beating the winter season slump.
Hunker
Allow yourself to sit with your feelings and don’t push yourself to do too much. Know this state of mind will pass and that until then, you have permission to cosy up by the fire, read a book, binge on a boxset and take it easy.
Read and believe
Buy yourself a copy of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy – absolutely guaranteed to brighten your day. Here’s a snippet…
“Always remember you matter, you’re important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can.”
