After all of December’s glorious festivities, we are bound to be left a little blue when January hits. The 1st is always a celebration, but by seven o’clock we may feel rather unsettled. Reality dawns on us that we really have begun another new year, and it can all feel a little bit dauting. Therefore, we thought, why not propose to you some ways to deal with those inevitable January blues?
Now of course, you are thinking of all the regular resolutions: a gym membership, a new diet, and giving your wardrobe a declutter. I am not here to tell you what you already know. Plus, we all know just how quickly the novelty of these resolutions wear off! So instead, here are some practical ways in which you can make relevant habits to beat the blues in not just January, but every month of the year…
- Cut Out Toxicity
Either wipe the slate clean or cut those people out who are not prepared to diplomatically resolve problems. You do not have to get along with every single person you meet in life. Some people just do not gel. And it is much more mature, and mentally healthy, to cut out those people, as well as things that bring negativity and toxicity to your life.
2. Throw Yourself into Everything
No matter what you are doing, rustle up energy from deep within and give it your all. You will find you start to enjoy things more, and you may even find day-to-day tasks a lot less monotonous. Perhaps you will come to love certain activities more than you expected. Maybe you will find a new interest while making the most of the moment.
3. Keep Yourself Occupied
Occupied and busy are two different things. Instead of making yourself busy, keep your mind occupied with something. It could be knitting, reading a book, baking a cake: whatever you are interested in. It will help to keep any deep thoughts at bay, and stop that overthinking, overactive brain from asking all of life’s big questions all in one go. Do not overload your brain: focus your energy on one activity at a time. Note: Do not write a to-do list as long as your arm and expect to get everything done in one day, it is not healthy.
4. Make Plans to Look Forward To
Got a favourite band? Buy that gig ticket. Love a certain musical? Buy that theatre ticket. Always wanted to visit a certain country or city? Book that flight, buy those train tickets. Following through on your plans will one, make you feel productive, two, give you something to look forward to, and three, ultimately bring you joy.
5. Stop Focusing on Being “Happy”
You cannot ‘achieve’ happiness by trying to make every moment happy. Happiness is an emotion, nonetheless an abstract noun (only highlighting its complications), and we all know how up and down our emotions can be. Rather than questioning whether you deem yourself to be happy or not, just enjoy life’s moments. Revel in the now and the situation you are in, and try to make the best out of every moment, even if the moment itself is not particularly ‘happy.’ A positive can be found in every negative.
With this advice you can enjoy the first month of 2019 and every month that follows. It is bound to fly by, so hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
