The festive season is over and, miraculously, the whole planet has survived the dreaded apocalypse and we’ve managed to make it into 2013. This means that once again, January has come around. Some might say that this is the most depressing time of the year, and you should prepare to be struck down by a severe case of the January blues; but actually, as a brilliant student of Lancaster University, here are a few reasons why you should love January.
First of all, feeling a little bit glum in January is not uncommon, in fact, next time your parents/lecturers/employers moan at you for lying in bed till noon, you’ve actually got scientific proof and extensive research to back you up on that cheeky lie-in. Lancaster University’s own Professor Cary Cooper has labelled these feelings as ‘acute post-bank holiday depression syndrome’. Unfortunately for you, the only cure for this syndrome is to give yourself an extra holiday and recuperate from the excitement of the Christmas and New Year holidays. The perfect excuse to wrap up warm in your duvet, send your flatmates out into the barren wastelands of Lancaster for chocolate and go into hibernation until spring comes back – sadly for Ned Stark winter can’t be here forever.
Furthermore, as students, it seems that much harder to deal with January after coming from the warmth of our homes back to the arctic wastelands of student housing, and bracing ourselves for what is bound to be another hectic term of university life. One great way to get over this feeling would be to make the most of what our wonderful university has to offer you, if there was something that you wanted to do last year that you never found the time to do, 2013 is your year to take advantage of all the opportunities our lovely student union organises for you. Re-fresher’s is perhaps the best way to embrace the New Year and start making some positive changes to your life, as well as giving you a second chance to join up with any clubs or societies that you missed out on last year. So if you’ve ever had a burning desire to write, like us smartypants at SCAN, bake some cakes, or learn a new language – now is your chance. Taking up a hobby or doing something new is bound to battle those blues and make your forget about your troubles, as well as helping you meet loads of fascinating new people and doing something possible to bulk out that impressive CV of yours.
Another way of curing the January downer is to maybe take your resolutions more seriously, and get some exercise, or maybe kick that smoking habit. There are also vast amounts of research which look into the beneficial effects of exercise on both your body and your brain, and the effects are believed to be so beneficial that doctors are increasingly prescribing a healthy dose of exercise to people suffering from mild depression. In addition to this, feeling good about yourself is key in lifting your mood. So if, like me, you brought back extra weight in more than just your suitcase this term and it’s bringing you down, make an action plan and get to it. And if none of that floats your boat, probably the best advice I can offer you is to go to the Plough, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. I’ll see you there.
