Why January Doesn't Have to be the Most Depressing Month of the Year.
I know.
It's dark, it’s grey and it’s wet.
You’ve spent the last few months fatigued and just trying to make it to this imaginary finish line. You’d like to turn into the new year full of energy, life and light and then…there is none.
I think there is a tendency to get ahead of ourselves, It is still winter after all. This is the time to really gather the energy required to flourish in spring. If we were to dive straight in, there would be little chance to reflect and plan. We would be exposed to the elements far too early and yes, damage would be done. So here are my simple tips to evade January Blues;
Enjoy Your Environment - it's all about the ambient lighting and staying wrapped up in your cosy clothes. Remember...
“there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”
We’re lucky really, we have much more choice over our environment than the rest of the natural world. The option to don another jumper and put a log on the fire isn’t there for all, but many other species deal with this in different ways, such as hibernation or emigration.
Re-Energise - and this is where I think a long list of resolutions sets you up for January blues. It is perfectly acceptable to spend more time resting and sleeping in order to have the energy to ‘act’ come spring and so don't starve your body of its requirements with extensive exercise regimes and fad diets, further depleting your stores with an unachievable list of to-dos. Simply treat your body like the dormant seed it is, cocoon it, provide nourishing energy filled foods and get outside when the sunlight is at its peak.
Set Intentions - ditch resolutions. I joined in with The Goodship Illustrations planning party, to reflect on last year and visually plan what I want this one to look like, and I’d like to recommend it to you all. Why visual you say? Well the same way we focus on the lack of light and bad weather. We're visual beings and what we see affects our emotions. Even for those where physical sight isn't possible, the visual descriptors we choose to use will affect the brain's translation of that in our mind's eye.
Sit down with a hot beverage of your choice, grab a scrap piece of paper and a fun pen that someone bought you for Christmas, preferably with the fluffy wobbly top or a multiple colour option. Remember those gel pens that smelt like strawberries... Whatever you feel most comfortable with, I did mine using the Notability App. Make a visual reminder, in whatever form it may be, of the aspects of life you wish to give more focus and time to. The things you look forward to inviting back into your life when the lights are turned back on and the things you wish to leave behind.
There is the January joy, the fire in your belly, the excitement of things to come.
No flower that blooms in January is still flowering in June, so take your time. Feed the soul and mimic the seasons. For every minute gained from the winter equinox onwards is another energy cell recharged in your battery to peak come summer.
To get further into the science of things, there is evidence to suggest that certain annual rhythms are controlled by an internal clock too, called circannual clocks, similar to our circadian clock.
Whatever the time scale of the endogenous clock, they exist and we know they can be manipulated as we see in the horticultural world when plants are forced out of their natural cycles to meet our deadlines for events such as the Chelsea flower show. The show takes place in May, yet you see spring, summer and autumn plants, raised under artificial conditions to bloom at our chosen time.
We ourselves live in artificial environments of light and heat. Confusing our internal clock as to what chemicals need to be released and when. Humans are forever changing these inbuilt natural cycles to suit the demand of the current modern day world.
So our intervention can be found much deeper than just the visual face of the earth, it can be found within ourselves. For where the problem lies, often so does the answer.
Something to consider, and be gentle with yourself.
Comments