Ideas on how to beat the January blues

Take up a sport and feel the benefits of exercise

It’s a well-known fact that regular exercise does wonders for our mental health.

If you’ve been thinking about ways to get more exercise during 2023 but wondering how to get started, there are a number of things you can do to ensure you’re going to keep it up.

While joining the gym is the obvious choice, not everyone thrives in that environment, so try something different; join a running club, or sign up for a local team, whatever the sport may be.

The fact that you’ve committed yourself to an activity with a group will generally give you the impetus to get off the sofa and out of the house, even if it is still cold and unappealing out there!

Reassess your goals

Did you start January with a new years resolution that you were definitely going to keep up, but now, three weeks later, it’s becoming harder to stick to?

Or perhaps you set yourself more than one resolution and now the new 2023 goal seems daunting?

If you have strayed off the path since the start of the month, don’t beat yourself up over it.

As with so many things, it’s often easier to set yourself smaller goals (or break down bigger ones) so that way you won’t set yourself unrealistic expectations and you’re more likely to achieve them.

If you’re planning on taking up a sport such as running or cycling, for example, set yourself weekly goals rather than monthly or yearly ones, and it’ll all seem that much more manageable.

This month is hard enough, without giving ourselves a hard time about what we haven’t gotten around to achieving!

Affirmations & positive thinking

How you begin your mornings can really set the tone for the rest of the day.

For some, that morning coffee is a must, while others swear by a brisk morning walk, or exposing themselves to sunlight.

Morning affirmations and expressing gratitude is a great way to positively start the day – saying things out loud or even writing them down are all great ways to be grateful for what we have.

Spending a small amount of time each day thinking about and appreciating the little things in life, from family and food to having a roof over your head will all help to get you feeling positive!

Morning affirmations also help you to avoid negative thinking by aligning your day with positive intentions that can help you make the right decisions throughout the day.

Get better sleep & recharge

So much of our mental health is linked to our physical health – it’s why we feel so good after exercising, or feeling like a weight has been lifted when we speak and engage with a friend when something is on our mind.

Setting a healthy bedtime routine and getting a good night’s sleep is no different.

Sleep helps us to process memories, rest our muscles, and improve our mood by combatting stress.

Struggle to get a full eight hours a night? Here are five tips to improve the quality of your sleep:-

• Reduce screen time before bed
• Get an early night
• Maintain a well-ventilated room
• Stick to a routine to programme your body to go to sleep and wake at set times
• Keep a dark and comfortable environment

Reconnect with your passions

Hobbies make life much more enjoyable; but it’s no secret that we’re leading busier lives, and juggling work, life and childcare, which often means little to no time for ourselves.

But once you manage to channel that energy into something you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to enjoy a much more fulfilled and positive life and more importantly, find time for it!

Put some time aside to reconnect with old hobbies or discover new ones; whether it’s an hour a day or once a week – making time for you is important to staying positive, motivated and fulfilled.

You’re also more likely to have better mental health, feel more positive ensuring you’re better equipped at dealing with the January Blues!