I hate it when Christmas is over. Hate it and I don’t always like January.
We have just taken our decorations down. The presents are away and the leftover chocolate is hidden. I’m miserable but I’m determined to not be for long. I don’t want a miserable cliche January. It makes me feel worse. It’s hard going back to school and work after being in that gorgeous bubble of friends, family and Prosecco (in my case) for 2 weeks but I’m throwing myself back in.
I’ve not made any resolutions, as it’s not my bag at all but these are my tips to avoid the blues:
- Don’t give up what you enjoy as it is January! I bang on and on about moderation and probably annoy the hell out of you but it is the best way to be. Yep you may have drank a bit too much over Christmas and ate a bit too much chocolate but so what? It doesn’t mean go cold turkey, be miserable for the whole of January to binge eat for the rest of the year. Cut the treats and booze down but a little here and there to keep you happy is cool.
- Make some weekend plans that don’t cost much money – January can be a skint month so the cheaper plans are best. Meet friends at the park with your littlies. Have a dinner party and everyone bring a dish and a drink.
- It has to be in here somewhere – do some exercise. It may be some fitness or dance game on the X Box, you may join a gym or you may dance around the lounge in the buff; whatever. Exercise boosts moods, burns those Christmas kcals and believe it or not makes you smile so go for it.
- Book a trip. Go somewhere new and discover a place you haven’t visited before, like Aruba. You can apply for an Aruba ed card online and then book flights and a hotel. Two weeks in the sun will feel amazing.
- Preserve some memories. You must have ten billion photos on your phone from Christmas. As a keen scrapbooker, I’m no stranger to making my photos look pretty but it can be easier than that. Make a photo album, photo book or best still cut them out and stick them down to make a massive collage. Crafting is calming and therapeutic and you will have an awesome keepsake afterwards.
- Get into a new series. Neflix, Amazon Prime, box sets…get hooked on something new and those dark evenings will pass in a flash.
- Learn something new! If you are a blogger; learn about a new plugin, some CSS, focus on one of your social media platforms and help it grow. If not, maybe there is something you want to learn a bit more about; go for it now whilst you know it is a slow month.
- Learn to be mindful. This is such a hot potato and the moment but can be used pretty much anywhere, sleeping, eating, or just any situation you want to increase awareness, clarity and acceptance. There are some brill mindful mediation videos on YouTube which could help with any stress and anxiety and help your inner Zen.
These are just a few things I will be doing this month. There are lots of exciting things hopefully going on in the gremlin household that will be revealed in the next few months; new challenges and new chapters (no I am not pregnant!) but I’m planning a non-blue January if I can!
Have a good one.
great tips for a happy January. I bought a scrapbook specifically for Christmas memories and I haven’t even started it yet, I really should before the memories fade.
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Yep def do and in January! x
I love the start of new things and a fresh year. Crazily it almost has a spring like feeling to it! Hope you manage to keep the blues away x
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That’s a good way to think about it! x
Good tips. I like the idea of dedicating January to learning something new. Hope it all helps make this month a happy one! #Marvmondays
I absolutely love this post. I don’t deal with the post Christmas come down well at all and you’ve got some very positive and inspirational tips here. I’ve put an enormous amount of weight on over the festive period (gulp), but for the first year ever I am not going to make myself even more miserable by starving myself thin. I’m still going to enjoy the odd play date with cake and the odd Christmas choccy as a treat on a weekend etc. I’m just going to generally make better choices and get my backside moving more. You’re so right – January is not the right time to starve ourselves of all little pleasures.
Love it and hope you have a fab January xx
#marvmondays
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Thanks Dawn. I really hope you have a good one and don’t feel the pressure. Have a brilliant one too x
Great post! I love the feeling of fresh starts that comes with the new year. 🙂 #MarvMondays
Good tips and some I have already adopted. Firstly, booked in to a spinning class tonight (whilst still having chocolate – although not at the same time), Secondly, booked on to a photography course in March. Thirdly, having a take-away night in with friends to celebrate a few birthdays. All of us are skint. Hope you have a good January #AnythingGoes
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Ah brill you are on a roll! x
What a lovely, positive post. It can be so hard not to get sucked into the blues in January but, like you, I’m making a conscious effort to stay upbeat. I already practice mindfulness and find it a big help but something that’s really helping me is developing my blog and making plans for the coming year. This always makes me happy. Thanks for sharing your great tips 🙂 #marvmondays
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Ah that’s great Laura. I hope you have a brilliant Jan x
Great tips! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas #marvmondays xx
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We did thanks lots x
January is not a favorite of mine either, so I feel your pain! The only good thing about it is my sister’s birthday is this month! Actually I don’t know I can say that’s good because she’s the one making me feel older than I am! Lol
Despite the fact I hate January, I’ve been very positive about it! I hope you successfully kick the blues away! 🙂 #AnythingGoes
Megz
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Yep it’s hubby’s birthday too! Hope you have a positive one as well x
Well happy birthday to him!! Thank you! 🙂
This is such a great post, I love it! I’m such a believe in everything in moderation and totally agree with your point about not going cold turkey in Jan and then bingeing for the rest of the year. The same with new years resolutions, I’m not a huge fan of them and rather think about the type of year I want and things I want to do. Thanks for linking up to #MarvMondays. Emily
Hi Sarah, I like your list. For me beating the blues is practicing meditation and mindfulness. You’re right when you say there are many great meditations and self hypnosis on youtube. I also like spending time with animals or children as this is a great mood lifter! Thanks for sharing!
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Sounds brilliant! Meditation really does help 🙂 xx