The January Blues

Do you suffer?

Who here suffers from the January Blues? I think I suffer more from the “going back to work after 2 weeks off” blues but after reading online (there’s lots) and seeing that there’s not much about it on SubStack I thought I’d do a little article about it. So here I am, trying to fill that small little gap which I’m sure could be filled by much more qualified people than me.

So after the excitement and bustle of the Christmas season, the kids being all excited for Santa, my mums birthday (it’s Boxing Day), it is completely natural to feel a little down at this time of the year. January, the month of cold weather, dark mornings and (probably) failing in our New Year’s resolutions (I’ve not made one since I was 20) collide to create “January Blues”.

Typically, January Blues manifests itself as feelings of low mood, sadness, lack of motivation, tiredness and low energy. It is also the peak season for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can induce serious depressive episodes during the darker months.

Blue Monday, so-called the most depressing day of the year, falls on January 15th this year. It is typically the third Monday of the month and it is supposedly the saddest day of the year, due to a combination of bad weather, long nights and lingering aftermath of the festive period.

So I was looking into this and I’ve gathered a few tips. Please comment below if you have any other methods of beating the January Blues.

1. Get as much daylight as possible!! Just like during the COVID years, getting a nice boost of vitamin D is vital for well-being and morale. The sunlight can make you feel better and also help to regulate your sleep cycles properly. Exposure to natural light increases the level of serotonin in the brain, which is associated with improved mood.

2. Keep fit and stay active!! Now for those that like to go off and run a marathon just for fun………piss off you show offs LOL. I have a bad knee so I usually cycle round or do lots of walking plus i do like to get myself on the rowing machine. Plus it adds to getting over all the Toblerone I ate during the Christmas period.

3. Sleep Well!! I’m one for only getting like 6 hours of sleep a night. Less if I’m on a ship. Health experts recommend 7-9 hours and I’m sure that I’ve read somewhere that REAL women need more than men. Also try to reduce screen time in the evenings before bed (this includes looking at patrick.net/memes and sharing/stealing them) and open up an ACTUAL book. I’m guilty of this as I love my Kindle.

4. Learn a new skill (or start a new hobby)!! For all you ladies out there, why don’t you learn a new skill, like learning to drive LOL (I jest) or men could learn to knit? Seriously though expand your repertoire and learn something new. There’s so many video out there explaining how to do things. I fixed my mum’s juicer when she was going to throw it out so that saved her £50-100.

5. Positive Affirmations!! Start the day by telling yourself you’re on the right side of history lol!! seriously though just a good old fashioned “I CAN DO IT” can work wonders apparently.

6. Be grateful for the life you have!! There are so many people in the word who are much worse off. I’m always thankful for where I live and the parents I have.

Anyways I hope these might get you thinking about what you do. Please comment with what you do. Have you started a new hobby? Are you writing a new book? Are you growing something? Raising chickens? Painting something? Building something?

I aim to paint more of my Necrons collection this year as well as read more.

I also looked up January Blues songs on YouTube and I liked this.

This is the end of my musing. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and a happy New Year and may 2024 be better for us all than 2023.

Vulkan

P.S This is my attempt at generating a January Blues Ai picture from SubStack lol.

January Blues