3 Tips to Beat the January Blues
January is an interesting month and a really difficult month for people like me who suffer with SAD. The hustle and bustle of the holidays is over and the start of a new year is upon us. For many people the start of a new year brings a combination of optimism in the future and despair at the lack of accomplishments in the year just ended. This mixture of emotions along with the fact that British weather in January is not the most uplifting has given rise to what is commonly known as the “January Blues” so I write today about my 3 tips to beat the January blues.
Tens of thousands experience these January Blues, but there are some easy ways to battle them which will help to get your new year off to a great start.
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Exercise More
“I’ll exercise more” is one of the more common New Year’s resolutions. One of the reasons this resolution has such as large failure rate is a great deal to do with how we approach exercise. Getting in shape does not mean that we have to spend hours in the gym or hire a personal trainer.
Yoga is one of the most beneficial forms of exercise around. It is suitable for everyone regardless of age or physical condition. Yoga is definitely low impact, which means you will not be making a trip to hospital due to a yoga injury. Regular practice has proven to increase flexibility, improve circulation, and even lower blood glucose levels in diabetics. Yoga is a unique combination of physical and mental exercise, which also reduces stress.
Another appealing aspect of yoga is that your practice can take place anywhere. Yoga studios can be found almost everywhere with classes usually being available from early morning until late evening. There are a number of excellent yoga apps available as well, such as 5 Minute Yoga and Down Dog.
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Diet
The number of resolutions made, and broken, each year that deal with food is amazing. The last few years has given rise to the “foodie” phenomenon. Admittedly, foodies can often be annoying with their constant references to obscure dishes and comments about the latest food fad.
However food is a requirement and not only nourishes the body but the mind as well. Studies show that a relaxing meal with family or friends, whether at home or at a restaurant reduces stress and promotes mental health.
Social media is filled with shares about the latest super foods that promote weight loss and promise to increase our vitality and longevity. However, it is not necessary to search speciality food shops nor visit out of the way restaurants to try the new super foods to get the benefits of a well-balanced diet.
For example, both Indian and Chinese foods have a long history of being both healthy and popular. Apps like Hungry House and Open Table make it easy to find nearby restaurants. Through the apps you can search menus, make reservations, or order takeaway and delivery. Both cuisines are also very easy to make at home.
Don’t let the fact that the NHS hosts the Change4Life app prevent you from checking it out. The app has lots of excellent recipes and cooking tips. Jamie Oliver’s app is arguably one of the best recipes and cooking apps you will find anywhere.
Trying new cuisines and dishes with family and friends is also a relaxing, fun, social experience.
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Take a Trip
Researchers recently interviewed 1,000 people; about 750 of them stated that going on holiday made them feel better. Occupational psychologist ( read here for the difference between a therapist and a psychologist from Betterhelp) Carol Rothwell said that “”A holiday gives you the time and space to do the things that make you happy.” It is important to note that the planning of a holiday trip has also proven to be very beneficial.
There are number of excellent travel apps and websites that made holiday planning easy and interesting.
OwnersDirect and AirBnB have excellent deals for accommodation along with web pages that list things to do and interesting facts about the destinations. For those that prefer hotel stays for their holidays Roomer and Cancelon offer great deals on unused reservations.
For airfare the best deals can usually be found using one of the top three comparison sites; SkyScanner, Travel Super Market and Kayak. You should also consider using the Hopper app. The apps predicts whether the fare you found is likely to go up or down in price. It has proven to be fairly accurate in predicting when the fare is likely to change.
This is a collaborative post.
