Beating the Winter Blues
The third Monday of January has been awarded the woeful title of Blue Monday due to a depressing combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills.
But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom – here we share our blues-banishing tips to help you start 2022 the right way.
Have something to look forward to
After the wave of social gatherings over Christmas and New Year, things can feel a bit flat when the festive season ends and we return ‘back to normal’. To combat this, try to ensure you have something in the diary to look forward to in January, whether it’s booking in a lunch date with a friend or treating yourself to a winter weekend getaway. Even better, scheduling something in every Monday during the month will help you fend off the post-weekend blues as well.
Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for our wellbeing and sticking to your normal bedtime routine at the weekend will help keep your body clock working at its best and ensure you feel well-rested and ready to face the week. If you tend to go to bed late, try gradually shifting your bedtime forward so you can get up a little earlier in the mornings – that way you won’t have to rush to get ready and will be able to take some time for yourself before you begin work and enjoy a much more relaxed and stress-free start to your day.
Declutter
January is a great time to do an early spring clean and get rid of any items in your home that you no longer need or use by giving them away or donating them to charity. Decluttering your space will help you to feel more organised and in control and reduce the time you spend tidying up, so you can focus instead on doing more of the things you enjoy.
Make your New Year’s resolutions sustainable
New Year’s resolutions never seem to last, with most of us giving up on them by mid-January. However, you’ll be more likely to stick to yours if you break it down into smaller goals that you can work towards throughout the year. If your resolution isn’t working out, don’t give up – instead, reflect on the progress you’ve made so far, think about what’s stopping you from achieving what you want and how you can make your goals more manageable, and write down a plan for how you can get back on track.
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