It’s now mid-January. Christmas is over; presents are unwrapped and even your drunken New Year’s Eve night out is just a perishing memory. The merry months of building up excitement has led to these joyous occasions, then in a week it’s finally all over and done with. Now what? Back to University, back to work and back to enduring what seems like a perpetual winter. The first month of the year can leave even the happiest of us feeling a bit depressed, so how exactly do you beat the dreaded January blues?
There are always ways to cheer yourself up after the festive period. Don’t forget you’ve still got all those Christmas presents to amuse yourself with, and probably a few that you’ve even forgotten about! Whether it’s that book you were dying to read or an outfit you were desperate to show off; now is the time to make the most of your gifts. And if you’re already itching to get your hands on something else, then where better to go than the January sales. Bag a few bargains with your Christmas money from the relatives (or your overdraft) and you’ll feel happy and cheery in no time.
Another thing is to make the most of your time at home before heading back to Lancaster. Cherish your home cooking and washing machine before you rush back. Of course, you want to see everyone at university, but enjoy your home comforts before you’ve soon got to fend for yourself for the next 10 weeks! And now you’ve got time to be at home that isn’t surrounded by Christmas stress. No more worrying that you haven’t got a present for such-and-such yet or spent more money on him than her. Everything is done and sorted until next year; so give yourself a breather and cheer yourself up with the thought of a few weeks that are stress-free. Make your stay even better and totally content by focusing on something and set a goal. Without jumping on the cliché bandwagon, New Year’s resolutions are the best distractions in January. So aim for a healthier 2014, or make loads of plans with your friends, if you’re focusing on everything you’ve got going on at the moment, you won’t miss the festive fun and feel down.
Here’s one that everyone will love because from doing my research I found that more sleep is supposed to help you feel cheerier. Resist the afternoon naps to reset your body clock after the holiday parties because this will just make you feel groggier and definitely not make you feel less blue. Instead, try and get a good night’s sleep every night throughout the whole of January. That means, early nights, pyjamas on and films in bed – most definitely my own way of beating the blues!
So shop and chill and you won’t be feeling blue after Christmas and New Year. If all else fails you could always not give into reality yet. Pull a cracker here and there and keep the festive songs on, there’s nothing wrong with a spot of Christmas cheer here and there. (Although if you’re still doing it in summer you might get a few odd looks!) But as we are told Christmas is a state of mind and not a day, so keep up the seasonal spirit and keep the January blues at bay.
