How to Beat the January Blues

Early January is the worst time of the year. You’re probably still hungover from the over indulgences of the festive period, you’re avoiding looking at your bank balance for fear of being engulfed by the massive void left where your salary used to be and all of your clothes are feeling a bit tight around the midriff. There’s no wonder everyone feels pretty miserable at this time of the year.

If you’re feeling pretty naff and want to find a way out of the post festivity blues hole, we have, as ever, got your back. Don’t mould a space for yourself in the sofa by sitting there all month. With a few relatively simple adjustments to your day to day life, you can break the January blues cycle. But where do you begin?

Perk up your social life by gathering all your friends in one place sometime this month. You might feel like you want to hibernate but hanging out with your pals is a sure fire way to boost your mood. Have ’em all round yours for pizza and movies, reflect on the debauchery of the festive season and just enjoy spending time with no agenda. Either that or you can all sit and whinge about how naff January is together. A problem shared and all that.

Binge watch comedy on Netflix rather than getting knee deep into the latest series of How To Get Away with Murder. While it’s entertaining, the dark world of Annaliese Keating is not going to fill you with lolz and improve your mood. There’s SO many great stand-up shows, funny films and comedy series on Netflix (or whatever your streaming services of choice is), you’ll be laughing off your Christmas weight rather than sobbing your way through Gilmore Girls (although if you haven’t watched all of that yet, we don’t know what you’re doing with your life).

Dance the blues away whether you’re at home or out and about. Getting out of the house and into a club might not seem like a particularly appealing idea in the darkest days of January, but it’s been proven that pulling shapes on the dance floor releases endorphins (aka the happy hormone), meaning you’ll be bouncing off the walls in no time. And you know, there’s always the option to have a 30 second dance party in your living room if you can’t bare to be away from your sofa. If it works for Meredith Grey, it’ll work for anyone.

Get out of the house and top up your vitamin D. We don’t get anywhere near enough vitamin D in the UK and it’s especially bad when it’s been winter for so long we don’t remember what the sun looks like. You can get vitamin D even in the winter, so if the sun is shining even just a little bit get yourself out there and absorb as much as you can. You’ll be guaranteed a natural mood boost and with the sun on your face, you’ll feel brighter in no time.

Turn off Facebook and spend some time reading for pleasure. Whether you return to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (best by far, amirite?) or read something entirely new, spend some time actually enjoying reading a book. When was the last time you did that, eh? And now’s the best time of year to make habitual lifestyle changes. Visit the bookshop, browse the shelves and treat yourself to something you’re TRULY excited to read.

Excercise, even if it’s just a little bit is a massive mood booster. We know you know this. But we wanted to remind you. Like dancing, it produces the happy hormone and it’ll leave you feeling mega virtuous and super chipper. And if you can’t face the idea of exercising, maybe these corgis doing it for you will make you laugh instead.

Celebrate the little things, even if you don’t really have anything to celebrate. Made it through a tough week at work? CONGRATULATIONS! Smiled sweetly at the exceptionally rude commuter who shoved you at rush hour? WELL DONE! Ate a salad instead of the burger you were craving? YOU ROCK! Every victory is a victory, no matter how big or small.

If you’re planning any celebrations, big or small and you’re looking for a venue, we’ve got you. Drop us a line, or give us a call on 020 7833 4090