It’s January and don’t we know it. The memes have flooded social media claiming that January has in fact over a hundred and fifty days in it and everyone quite frankly wants to tell it to bugger off. We feel stuck.
I was one hundred per cent with everybody on this until I entered the final week of this gloomy month. I hadn’t noticed that I had been suffering with the January blues. The flat period once Christmas and New Year are all over and everybody is fat and skint, it hadn’t bothered me. I thought.
It wasn’t until the other day when I suddenly felt brighter, more energetic and found myself doing more with a positive attitude that I thought perhaps my gloomier spirits over the past month couldn’t simply be justified by my period or just another rubbish day and here’s what I’ve discovered I’m doing to illustrate my exit out of the January blues.
I am drinking less coffee
Coffee keeps me going. I begin every day with a cup of the good stuff and it is my favorite smell in the morning to welcome the day in. There’s nothing quite like the warm beverage soothing your insides while filling your nostrils with contentment and also providing a large kick up the backside to get you started with the day ahead.
Yet recently, well, since my boosted spirits came along last week, I have noticed my consumption of caffeine has decreased. Whether it’s because I am getting energy from being happier and doing more creating an upwards spiral or whether it’s all in my head and I am still drinking an unhealthy amount, I feel better for it, though still solely rely on that initial cup to get me going.
I am appreciating the sunshine
I love the sun, doesn’t everyone? But lately I have noticed it so much more. Days where no cloud lingers in the sky above and the view out of my bedroom window while I work sits there looking fabulously inviting have stuck with me. Each day when I walk I fixate on the weather and the sunnier walks recently have left me feeling happy from within.
In fact, over the past week I have noticed that I am appreciating everything more. I have always been one to sway to the negative side of things and chuck my dummy out of the pram at any minor inconvenience in life, returning a few moments later to realise it’s not that big a deal. But lately I am appreciating everything more from the glorious scenes that the weather brings to my work space to a hot mug of tea to half an hour to myself to read a good book. Everything.
I am taking in more
Though none of us understand the Brexit chaos and everything that comes with it, I have recently been more actively involved in the news and tried desperately hard to understand it, while still convinced that no politician that is interviewed on TV understands what they are talking about anyway.
When driving around in my car I would have in the past always had music on, especially during the darker months of the year in attempt to try to cheer me up but lately I have opted for Podcasts.
Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing feel of having a companion with me at all times, discussing important and interesting topics, but I have also listened and taken in all that they say rather than shutting off temporarily and returning to the episode confused.
I am getting less frustrated on a daily basis
I’m a girl, I am young and by no means perfect so I do get easily irritated by the ignorant actions of others most hours of most days.
However, with my newly improved mindset since exiting the January blues I have found that no longer am I jumping to anger and frustration as an exaggerated reaction to something that won’t matter to me in five minutes let alone five years. Instead it is taking longer for me to have to rationalise my response because I am rarely hitting that level of annoyance.
In other words my temper, patience and everything in between has lengthened and for that I am proud.
I am making more of an effort
From my outfit to my health I am suddenly making more of an effort. Not much more, I confess, I am never going to be one of those girls who gets up an hour before leaving the house in order to perfectly straighten my hair, redo my makeup five times and choose my outfit for the week, but I am making more of an effort than I have been over the past two months or so.
No longer do I fall out of bed five minutes before leaving just in time to brush my teeth and not worry about anything else, but I leave a little time for properly applied makeup and to ensure my outfit has had some amount of thought over it.
I am also consciously caring about my health and attempting to eat less and do more to shift a few pounds before the spring. I am only a few weeks in and already feeling great, despite putting on a pound and ripping a hole in the bum of my jeans last week. We’ll not discuss that.
I am generally feeling happier
Aside from the specifics, in general, I feel much happier, positive and excited for the future. I am finding I am more creative with my writing and the ideas are constantly buzzing around my head for novels, blog posts and various other projects when before I was struggling to come up with a topic to write about each week.
I am also finding that I am being more productive and once I have finished my work for the last few days I have tidied my room, sorted files and made notes with enough time to read lots and listen to podcasts and radio shows as well.
The future is bright as they say and I think we can safely take this saying quite literally as we head into February, with spring just around the corner.
Britain may be exiting the EU, but I am exiting the January blues.