Christmas is over, New Year seemed like a lifetime ago and you’re back at work. If you’re anything like us then getting up in the morning is more difficult than ever and your motivation levels are at an all-time low. In fact, you might even be wondering if you need to check into a treatment centre to dispel the 2018 January blues.
To help we have put together some top tips so that you can make it to the 31st of the month with a smile on your face and some money in your wallet.
Appreciate the now
Remember, life isn’t always one big party! After a month of enjoying yourself, opening gifts and over-indulging it is hard to remember what life was like before December. A flick through your phone diary to October or November might help you put things into perspective.
Save a pretty penny
January provides you with a great chance to get your finances back on track and save some money if you haven’t got any Christmas debt to pay off as friends and family will be well and truly into hibernation faze as the weather is dull and the nights are long.
Raise your heart rate
Whilst joining the gym in January might be a cliché, the reason people often do it is to feel better about themselves. Whilst most of us have no interest in exercising in a gym, let alone committing to a contract simple life changes such as walking to the train station instead of getting the bus or taking the stairs up to the office instead of the lift can help you feel a little bit better this January. So have a think about how you can weave in exercise into your life without it costing the earth or taking too much time.
Get planning!
Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, use the dark and miserable days to hatch a plan on how you’re going to spend the rest of the year. Research that holiday, Skype that friend about a visit to her hometown in a couple of months’ time and make sure you get some good deals! The January sales can provide the ultimate wanderlust whenever you’re feeling down you can take a look at the list and look forward to everything you’ve planned.
Eat Good, Look Good, Feel Good
You’re craving more pigs in blankets followed by Quality Street and brandy butter on Christmas pudding, but the cupboards are bare. Time to switch your mindset to being healthy as eating well can change your mood – and this doesn’t need to break the bank. Fish, eggs, lentils and other sources of protein should be your culinary weapons of choice in beating the blues. Eat more oily fish, too. The brain needs Omega-3s, also found in nuts, to perform properly and people who don’t eat enough have been found to be more prone to depression.
Be careful with New Year’s resolutions!
We are all guilty of making resolutions because we have been pressured into them or because someone said we should, but this isn’t a good long-term motivator. If you don’t believe in the goals you have set, then they can make you feel like a failure before the year has even started. So, don’t worry if you break one of the resolutions especially if you’re not sure you should have set it in the first place.
Identify your worries
If you have specific things that are making you feel anxious or sad, make a list and add possible solutions. If a solution is “ask someone for help”, do it! Writing things down helps.
