10 ways to beat the dreaded January blues
Take a look at what you can do for a happier month!
After the hectic festive period, where most of us indulged in too much turkey and alcohol with time off work, January can hit us hard, especially with the dreaded January blues.
Believe it or not, January blues is a situational depression often called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It can affect people for a month at a time, with many professionals thinking it's related to how the body responds to sunlight.
Check out 10 ways to help you beat the January Blues:
Exercise
You've had your Christmas holiday, your Christmas lunch and all the alcohol that goes with it! Exercise is probably the last thing you want to be doing but it's one of the best ways to fight depression and improve your mood.
There's been lots of studies carried out that have shown a correlation between exercise and higher self-esteem, as well as improved mental health! Exercise also doesn't have to mean getting hot and sweaty – a brisk walk a day is perfect and gives you daylight too. Try it!
Ditch the junk food
Instead of ordering that takeaway, give home cooking & healthy eating a go! Try and make your favourite dishes at home with fresh, healthy ingredients. Cooking can be fun too, do it with a friend! Go the whole way and give dry January a go!
Plan a holiday
There's lots of reasonable January deals out there if you fancy getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily life for a week in the sunshine!
Get a new hobby
Starting a new hobby means you have the opportunity to meet new people and it gives you something to focus your mind and time on, you're exposing yourself to a new world of people who find the same thing enjoyable that you do! You might end up finding a hobby that you love and carry on through your life!
Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
Write down three things every night that you like about yourself, you'll be surprised at how many you can think of! Kill off those negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones! Focus on the things you can change, and not on the things that you can't.
Do something for someone else everyday
When you help others, it promotes positive changes in the brain that are associated with happiness! Set yourself a challenge of doing one selfless thing for someone else everyday and you will definitely feel better within yourself. Keep a good deeds diary!
Connect with new people
Connecting with new people will increase your sense of belonging and purpose. It will broaden your horizons to learn about different people and will mean you can find new things to do. Your sense of belonging and purpose will also increase!
Ask yourself what's making you feel down in the dumps
If there's something in your life that you really want to change, make 2020 the year you do it! Make the change this January to make yourself happier for the rest of the year.
The best way of improving your situation is realising what it is in your life that you need to change in order to feel happier, set yourself a goal, the first step might seem like the biggest but it will be worth it.
Learn to cook something new
Learn to cook something new, you could find something you always love to order in a restaurant and have a look online on how to cook it yourself! It will exercise your brain and you'll become popular with family and friends, letting them try your new delights!
Minimise your screen time!
It's easy to fall into the trap of getting stuck indoors, glued to the TV or your phone, especially during January when it's cold and dark outside. You can change this! Limit yourself from using them so much and turn off your phone by 9pm and relax and unwind with the radio, or choose a book over the TV!
You can also escape the January Blues by listening to the biggest hits on Northsound 1.