How to beat the January blues
For many of us, January can be extremely long and cold, causing low moods after the highs of the Christmas and New Year period. This is known as the January Blues. There is just something dreary about the constant grey sky and the knowledge that summer is a million miles away, there's just something about the post-Christmas period that puts us into a headspace that is unfortunately negative if we let it take control.
Although this isn't the best headspace to do all of your Christmas catching up in, with targets to meet, check-ins to do and getting back into a routine after the break, it is possible with the right mindset!
It's also worth noting that feeling down after the rush of the Christmas season is completely normal. However, for some, the reality is that the feeling can begin as early as October, this is called 'SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder' with the January Blues being the peak time for this spark. Thankfully this does not tend to last more than a few weeks.
How can you avoid this situation and stay positive throughout January?
Step 1 - Don't Blame Yourself
Although easier said than done, being kind to yourself and avoiding being self-critical is a crucial part of self-care, allowing you to get over the January Blues. Remember, that it is completely normal to feel a little bit low during these long, dark winter months. Most of your colleagues will be feeling the same way. Acknowledging that as normal as this is, no one else is going to get us out of the situation, we must assume that responsibility and act for ourselves.
Step 2 - Keeping Busy
Keeping focused on the most positive aspects of your life and developing a strategy to break down negative thoughts is an important thing to master. Focusing on family, friends or even a new hobby can be a way to keep your thoughts and mindset in a positive place, allowing you to forget the negatives of January. This being said, don’t overextend yourself with too many activities or projects, do just enough to change your focus away from the negatives around you. Remember to take time for yourself also!
Step 3 - Keeping a good attitude
Beating the January blues can sometimes be done by simply changing our attitude toward the things around us, but there are times we all need positive outside influences to help us on our way. Through having a positive outlook on daily life and keeping a structured work-life routine we will begin to get back into the swing of it in no time! Creating manageable New Year's Resolutions (if you do so) will also help you to keep feeling positive within yourself, rather than setting something unachievable and failing.
Step 4 - Self-care
Looking after yourself is one of the best things you can do when feeling low, no matter how this looks for you! Whether it's keeping a healthy diet and going for a daily walk, having a night to yourself per week or enjoying as much daylight as possible in this dark time. It's how it makes you feel that means the most. It can be easy to get caught up with catching up on work and forgetting to make time for yourself, however blocking time off for yourself is important!
How can we help?
At Maguire Training, not only do we offer classroom-based courses and programmes, but we are also proud to offer a versatile and intuitive suite of over 190 eLearning modules on our website, which covers a range of topics. Including our Bringing Your Authentic Self to Work Online Training Course, where delegates experienced and new will learn how they can bring the best version of themselves to work.
Contact us
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in contact with us:
Phone: 0333 5777 144
Email: info@maguiretraining.co.uk
Or, simply fill in the ‘Contact Us’ form on any page of our website.
