It was 10 o’clock in the morning but the sun had yet to fight its way through the thick, dark cloud.
As I wandered the now Christmas-free flat in the dull half light I caught myself humming a rather maudlin tune.
After a few seconds I realised it was ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’, which seemed a bit odd (and not just because I’m not particularly an Elton John fan). While my life isn’t perfect (whose is?), most of the time I’m more than happy, indeed very grateful, for my lot so I couldn’t work out what the problem was.
When that strange feeling continued for a few more days and still nothing really sprang to mind, I started to think, could it just be that it’s January?
It might be the new year, a time for resolutions and fresh starts but it’s also seemed like a massive come down after the excitement of December and prepping for Christmas. Even though ours was pretty uneventful and, much like last year, Freya struggled to cope, it still took up a lot of head space. Instead of feeling excited about 2019, I just felt a bit… deflated.
So, I set about ridding myself of the January blues – and I’m happy to say eight days in, it’s worked.
Start small.
I’m not keen on buying things in a bid to cheer myself up but I saw some bright yellow tulips and they instantly made me smile. I couldn’t resist them. They are still lifting my mood three days later as they flourish, despite the lack of light, so I’d say they were worth the few pounds.
I then looked for more little things that I know make me happy – music, taking photos and reading being the ones I turned to. Listening to some of my favourite songs worked their magic. As did spending a Christmas voucher on some of the books I’ve been lusting after.
Get outdoors.
I’m terrible at being stuck inside and while less inclined to head out in the cold, I think I needed to (we all did). We hit the beach, went to the park and even a walk to the shops in the fresh air (and cold rain) felt invigorating.
Health.
As you might already know, I had an op on my shoulder on Dec 19th and haven’t been able to do much in the way of exercise since then. Who knew I would miss it so much? Actually, I think the trouble is I haven’t toned down my eating and I can feel all that hard work (relatively speaking) being wasted. I’m still not completely healed and don’t want to risk making things worse but I know this is one of the things that will increase my happiness so I’ve tried to get back into healthy eating again (damn you, Christmas chocolate). I’m also thinking about doing the C25K (for the 50th time) when I can get back to running.
A change is as good as a holiday.
Money is tight, as it is for most people at the moment. It wasn’t just Christmas but also having to buy a new boiler last month. I really wanted to get my hair cut but couldn’t justify the cost so… I did it myself.
I quite often cut my fringe and, after watching a couple of YouTube videos, thought ‘why not?’. My hair is bobbed so it’s not the hardest style to replicate. My mum was here so I asked her to do the back but then I remembered the butchery haircuts she used to give my brother and I and just a few second after she’d hacked off the first inch, I took the scissors back from her and did it myself. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good and, more importantly, it feels swishy.
Made some plans.
At the start of 2019, I didn’t have a single thing firmed up in my diary. In fact, because of the aforementioned financial situ, at the end of 2018 I’d had to cancel the only thing I had planned – a trip to Paris to see the blossom with my running buddy.
Instead, we’ve decided to make the most of cheap train tickets and will be heading off to London for the day. Can you believe I’ve never been to the V&A so we’re going to go there (entry is free).
My mum and dad also want to go away for a week at Easter – though NOT in a caravan this year (cry) so that’s also something to look forward to.
Do you suffer with the January blues? What helps to cheer you up?
After The Rain 
I most certainly do. Mine starts in December though as I’m not keen on Christmas and all the commercialism that drives it so am always glad to see the back of it. Surprisingly though I was quite sad this year to take down our Christmas tree, I still miss the twinkly lights in the evening. It’s the miserable weather that’s to blame I think. Today is our first sunny day since New Years Day and the only sunny day before that was Christmas eve. The rest relentless grey sky and fog. Ah well onwards to a hopefully dry spring, your tulips are pretty, I love tulips.😊
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Sounds like you need some tulips too! Sorry to hear you’ve got the December/January Blues. I think it’s a difficult time for a lot of people (not that you’d know it from all the up beat posts I’ve been reading).
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I hate January. This one has been especially brutal so far but dusted myself off a bit yesterday, fingers crossed it continues on the up.
Wishing you a speedy recovery and happy times ahead.
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Sorry to read that, Clare 😦 Wishing you happy times (and many more mountains) ahead.
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I’ll be alright. Big list of challenges to keep me busy. 😀
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And must do coffee sometime. I met Mands 😊
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Aww lovely! Did you get to cuddle Vala?
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My girls did, they’re much more interesting than me. 😀
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I find the winter blues tough at times. It’s especially hard when there is little to no sunlight or when I can’t get outside. I understand about the surgery. For awhile I was trying to walk a little outside each day. Now it’s snowing and slippery and I am not walking well enough to be out there. We all need the sun sometimes! I feel better when I have all the lights on, when I’m toasty warm and when I’ve eaten. If I sit by the fire in our brightly lit living room with a little snack it helps me. If it’s a healthy snack I feel even better. I think some cave-person-part in my brain compelled me to seek light, warmth and food.
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Brrr snow! Yes, you need to take care. I’m very lucky, mine should be healed in a few weeks. I do like the seasons but a blue sky every now and then is very welcome.
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The VandA is quite possibly my favourite place in the world. Although I like to save my pennies too, their cafe food is always excellent, really well priced (with copious free tap water) in the most gorgeous of original William Morris dining rooms. You should try hard to find and set aside a fiver for a couple of pieces of cake / flapjack / salad, and get there outside of lunchtime, so you can bagsy seats. Let us know how you enjoy the visit 🙂
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Oooh thanks for the tip. I can’t believe I’ve never been. I’m shocked at myself.
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so glad I got to your blog before you went!! Hope you love it as much as I do.
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What an uplifting post for January! It can be a tough month, the Christmas let down and empty wallet and the winter weather ( here anyway). My sister has an eight year old daughter and mentioned the same blues. I used to feel that way much more when my boys were younger. It has slowly gotten better over the years as I take advantage of inside time near the fire, walking and exercising and enjoying the quiet of holidays gone by. I am happy you found some relief…the tulips would sure lift me up too!😘💕
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Thank you! I can’t remember ever really experiencing them before but maybe I just didn’t have time to think about it. I hope it’s not too cold where you are and you can still get outdoors for some fresh air.
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It’s snowy but there are mild days to walk. Fresh air is so important!😄
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