No matter how long you were away from ‘the office’ over Christmas and New Year, the early part of January is always difficult.
Maybe you feel guilty because you ate too much, or extended time with family may have been difficult. Then for New Year, talk turns to resolutions and making new starts, giving things up or adopting new practices.
Throw all this together, along with the shock of full working days after the Bank Holidays, and it is hardly surprising that people feel deflated in January.
So what can you do to pull yourself out of the doldrums?
Make a plan – start researching a holiday for later in the year, meet up with friends, plan a day. Having something to look forward to will greatly increase your mood.
Rise to a challenge – aren’t resolutions made to be broken? Instead of making them, set yourself a challenge that will leave you with a feeling you have achieved something. Learn an instrument, read more or aim to visit the cinema each month.
Spend time on yourself – take a walk in the winter sunshine, take up a new hobby, spend more time on current hobbies. This could be anything that leaves you invigorated.
Sleep well – parties and excited children can leave everyone feeling tired after Christmas. Dark mornings don’t help anyone to rise and shine, so making sure that you get to bed early enough to make sure you feel refreshed when the alarm goes off.
Eat well – too many temptations over Christmas usually mean that our bodies end up feeling
sluggish, and we might put on a few pounds. Be kind to your body and keep an eye on what you’re eating (and drinking) in January. Dieting is probably not the best idea – but rather nourishment. Actually feed and fuel your body rather than eating empty calories.
Just a few changes now might make a whole difference to your outlook for January. Carry this over into February, through Spring and beyond and you might develop a whole new way of thinking and won’t even blink next January.
Having something to look forward to will greatly increase your mood.
