January: The Monday of Months

Is it just me or does it feel like January (and perhaps even February) is always the longest month of the year? It seems the cold and dreary days drag on for weeks and we stay curled up on the couch waiting for warmer weather. We peek outside to see bare trees and grey skies, but once spring and summer hit, we seem to go non-stop. We spend our spring admiring the beautiful blooms we’ve been waiting on and relish as much time as we can outside. Hot summer days are spent by the pool or on one of the many Tennessee lakes. Some of us head out of town on family vacations or travel with friends. Then we roll right on into pumpkin season (which spans from September 1st through Thanksgiving depending on who you ask) which brings school activities back into the picture along with all the other fall festivities – football games, hay rides, pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, and pumpkin spice lattes (you either hate them or love them but they are everywhere). We spend time outside watching the leaves change color and sitting by bonfires. And before we know it, it’s December which sparks joy in all of us no matter which holiday you choose to celebrate. With sparkling lights, family time, and gift giving, we all seem to be pretty darn jolly. And then boom. It’s over. January swoops in and we’re left wondering what to do with ourselves until we have something else to celebrate or at the very least until we can walk outside with a light jacket instead of all those itchy layers.

With so many things to do and places to see during other times of the year, it can often appear that there’s a sudden lull in all the action. For many of us January can bring a feeling of ‘blah’ – we’re not “depressed” by clinical definition but we’re certainly not as joyful as we were the months prior. Our mental health can seem to take a toll, and even worse this season can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in some people which is a mood disorder characterized by severe depression (you can read more about SAD here). If you are really feeling down this month, talk to a therapist or counselor who can offer guidance on what’s really causing those feelings. While most of us may not feel like doing much, there are still options for using this time well. Since we spend our other months going and going, this is often an excellent time to reset our minds and decide what it is we want to accomplish later down the road. So, for those of us who might be wishing these cold days away, here’s a few productive ideas to consider that may help you from getting too stir-crazy.

  • Tackle projects. You know all those things you’ve been putting off but were too busy during the “fun” months? Now is the time. Whether it’s home improvement or organizing the drawer that keeps accumulating EVERYTHING, checking something off your to-do list that has been looming over your head will feel great. Take this time to go through closets and get rid of those items you keep but know you’ll never really wear and donate them. Maybe you bump up your usual spring cleaning and make January the designated time to wipe out all the dust bunnies hopping around places you try to ignore. Even if it is as simple as finishing a book that you started months ago, completing tasks will not only keep you busy, but it will also bring a feeling of accomplishment which is always satisfying.

  • Try your hand at something new. Yep, do that thing you’ve been secretly thinking about. Maybe it’s a cake decorating class, maybe it’s a pottery class. Maybe it’s starting your own blog. Maybe it’s finally attempting to nail that secret family recipe that is time consuming but so worth it. Learning or trying something new can be classified as personal development and there are numerous benefits that come along with this. Self-development can improve our attitude, our motivation, and even our relationships just to name a few. So give yourself a little challenge this season and see where it takes you during the rest of the year.

  • Reconnect. Sometimes the hoopla of the holidays brings people together, but sometimes it gets in the way of spending time with others. If you were too busy to connect with an old friend or even a current friend, take this down time to grab coffee or go to lunch. If they live too far for a face to face, there’s always facetime – and the traditional phone call works just as well. Having girl time (or boy time) is good for our souls! We as human beings were not meant to be solitary creatures – we were wired for connection. Catching up with a friend will guarantee to bring some warm and fuzzies, so take a moment to see who you might have missed out on.

Just like anything else, what you get out of something depends on what you put into it. If we spend our winter weeks inside with the covers over our heads, our feelings may not change. However if we spend our time wisely, the dreary days might seem less drab and the weeks not so long. And soon we’ll find ourselves soaking in the warmth that spring sprinkles on us all over again.

Written by: Lauren Sterritt, BA, Marketing & Community Relations for Focus Integrative Centers & Focus Treatment Centers

 

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