Oh hello, January blues…
I would say that for the most part, providing I’ve been fed and caffeinated and had my eight hours, I’m a pretty positive person! That is, until mid-January.
The cold weather really gets me down (may I remind you that I was made for warmer climes, and in the Southern Hemisphere a December baby means a summer baby!) and I find it really hard to motivate myself. Not great when you a) are your own boss and b) work from home. PJs and Netflix all day on a Monday, anyone?
Anyway, instead of feeling moody and wallowing in self-pity, I’ve been more productive than ever this month – and I’m feeling pretty good in general, too. So I thought I’d share my own advice for staying on top throughout the most miserable month of them all.
Practice Self-Care!
This is a big one for me, because I think we can all be hard on ourselves after the Christmas overindulgence, and don’t even get me started on the whole ‘new year, new me’ attitude we’re guilt-tripped in to adopting.
Everyone has their own self-care routines; mine usually involve spending an evening cooking my favourite dinner, lighting a few candles and snuggling up with Jordie and the cats in clean PJs! I’ve been doing a lot of this in January, and I feel more like myself for it.
Give in to yourself a little this month; cancel plans if you would rather be at home, skip the gym if you’re feeling under the weather, treat yourself to some luxe hot chocolate… it’s the little things that make every day more bearable!
And be nice to yourself, you deserve it.
Celebrate the little things
The new year is usually a time where we make wild promises to ourselves, which, for the most part, is pretty good! Who doesn’t love a few positive changes?
That said, it can be tricky to feel your best when you’re so determined to stick to these changes. I come down hard on myself if I’m not achieving them as easily as I had hoped, which is why I’ve started setting myself smaller goals to go alongside these bigger resolutions. My aims this year were a bit of a mix; small ones like have more dinner dates and take more photos, and bigger goals like write a freakin’ book! The mix works for me because it’s not overwhelming and I can break down the year in to manageable, not-so-daunting chunks.
I like the ‘slow and steady wins the race’ approach to the new year. Take a few days off, spend some time thinking about what you loved about the last year, and what you’d like to see from 2018.
Allow a couple of weeks to get back in to your routines, and then come up with a game plan for the year ahead (or y’know, don’t. Resolutions and life changes aren’t a must!)
Make lists, get organised!
I like lists, I’m very much here for lists. I like just throwing all my thoughts on to paper – everything from my personal goals to my travel bucketlist and meal prep ideas and shopping lists.
Anything that makes me feel more organised is all good with me!
If you’re feeling like the coming weeks and months are all too much, put some thoughts down on paper and make your tasks more manageable!
I started bullet journaling last year and I love it, it feels good to take control and have some sort of plan! I have quite a stripped back planner (you can see it here) but I find it’s so easy to keep on top of my goals, tasks and plans.
Get up and go
I was so busy in December that I barely made it to the gym, and then with Christmas and New Year… well, it meant that as soon as the fun was over, it was time to get back at it!
Instead of overthinking it, I set my alarm, got up when it went off, grabbed my gym kit and headed to the gym. I didn’t once entertain the thought of getting back in bed, I just put on a playlist and got to it.
I’ve been doing the same with work projects I’ve been putting off, and other life events that required more effort than I could usually muster. The trick is just to go for it, it’s never as bad as you think – and the relief you feel when it’s done is like nothing else! Changing your thinking really, truly works.
Have some fun…
It’s so tempting to strip your month back, stay indoors, make zero plans. I’m the worst for this, I’m a homebody at heart so the temptation to stay at home is just too much.
But, I know I love seeing my friends and have fun plans in my calendar – so I’m trying to move away from spending every weekend at home. I’ve got gigs, trips away and plans with my girl friends, and I’m really excited for it all!
Balance is key I find, I usually have half the weekend to myself/with Jordie, and then keep Sunday free for a lazy brunch or coffee date for whoever is up for it. A mix of me-time and friend dates is ideal!
I think January has the potential to be a good month, it is what you make of it! Stay positive, plan fun days out with your girl squad, do a few things to stay productive and have a few selfish days too. I’m all about the balance!
What do you do to stay on track when you’re feeling a little down?
