How to beat the January Blues

So, the thrill of Christmas and New Year are over. It’s still cold and dark outside and many people can’t afford to take time off to go to sunnier climates for a holiday. It’s no wonder people struggle with the January blues! But how do you help combat that feeling?

Over the last few years, I’ve begun to look at January in a very different way. Take for example November. It’s also cold and dark, but people feel in a much brighter place as they begin to focus on Christmas and the New Year, despite it being a month or even six weeks away. The thought of it, the planning for it, the imagination of what it’s going to be like help people cope with the dreary days of late October up until late December. Most people don’t wait until Christmas Eve before allowing themselves to look forward to and feel good about Christmas Day, they start that process many weeks or even months in advance.

So why are we so different when it comes to Spring? Why do we have to wait until that first warm day of Spring to look forward to it? Why do we have to wait until the first Spring flowers are coming through to feel good about it? Why can we not, like Christmas, start looking forward to Spring weeks or even months in advance? Why are the shops not crammed full of Spring purchases in January and February?

January and February is the perfect time to begin fantasising about Spring. If you’re lucky enough to own a garden or live near a nice park, imagining the sight of the Spring bulbs pushing through. Perhaps getting some January flowering daffodils and snow drops for your garden or home as a way of reinforcing this image of Spring coming. Allow yourself to fantasise about that first warm day when you can leave your home without putting on your coat and feeling the sun on your skin. Imagine meeting up with friends and family outside again, sitting out at your favourite coffee shop or pub. Focus on preparing for, anticipating, imagining and fantasising about Spring in as many ways as possible in the same way that we do for Christmas from late October onwards.

However, as a word of caution, don’t go overboard with this either. Using methods like this can work well to help us focus on the good times ahead but also be careful not to wish the year away! Times like January and February have their own beauty and it can also be beneficial to recognise that. The later sunrises and earlier sunsets which can be beautiful. Seeing more birds in the trees while they are without their leaves. The way frost, snow and ice forms on bushes, grass and trees. Allow yourself to imagine and anticipate the wonders of Spring and look for the beauty around you at the same time and you’ll soon have those January Blues beaten!

If you’re still finding yourself struggling though, feel free to contact our team of counsellors, psychotherapists and talking therapists to see how we can help you further!