Beat the blues and lift your spirits

With the excitement and festivities of Christmas well and truly over, January can often be more than a little underwhelming. It’s cold and dreary outside, we’re all watching the pennies after splashing out on all those gifts for our loved ones and the excesses of the previous month have caught up with us.

For many of us it certainly feels like the gloomiest month of the year. But don’t let the January blues get you down.

The new year can be a great opportunity to turn over a new leaf and look towards the next 12 months with fresh optimism. Whether you’re aiming to get fit, take up a new hobby or get organised – now is the perfect time to do it.

Experts recommend starting small to make the changes to your lifestyle more manageable and therefore more achievable so you’re less likely to abandon them and feel like a failure.

At this time of year many people splash out on costly gym memberships that they end up never using as the year progresses.

If you want to get more exercise or lose weight, start by taking the stairs instead of a lift, walking some of your journey to work or getting off the bus a stop earlier.

Embrace the cold – wrap up warm and go for a walk, you will feel all the better for getting some fresh air. Tracking your steps with the help of a smartphone app can also spur you on, you should be aiming for 8,000-10,000 steps a day. Over time you can build up to taking a fitness class or going to a gym as you’ll be encouraged by the progress you’ve already made.

If you want to lose weight then start by cutting out the junk food, increasing fruit and veg intake and eating regular meals. Don’t skip meals as this affects your mood and concentration levels.

Giving yourself goals will focus your mind.

As well as making New Year’s resolutions, try writing down all of the things you want to do or accomplish in 2018. How about organising that school friends reunion you’ve talked about for years or maybe you have always dreamed of wandering around The Louvre in Paris or hitting the shops in Dublin’s Grafton Street?

Or have you always wanted to take a cooking class or learn a foreign language?

Now is the time to consider how to make these ambitions come true. If it involves saving money, then make a plan of how you’re going to put the cash aside whether it’s ditching takeaway coffees or bringing lunch into work.

It can be a quiet time of year with many preferring to stay indoors rather than go out but make an effort to arrange to see friends and family. Having a few dates in the diary will also put you in a good mood and lift you out of the slump. And we all know there is nothing like planning a holiday to cheer you up. Grab some travel brochures or go online to research your next break. Dreaming of somewhere hot and sunny will take your mind off the wind and the rain and give you something to look forward to.

Helping others can be a good way to make you feel happier. You could get involved with a community project, charity work or simply help out someone you know such as baby-sitting for a friend. It’s a sure fire way to boost self-esteem.

Another way is to try focusing on the good things and people you have in your life. Being grateful for what you have and taking time out to notice simple pleasures can make you feel all warm inside. If you’re feeling a bit down, then listening to music can be a great way of relaxing and there is evidence that it can help improve your mood, depending on what you listen to.

Dark winter mornings can be made better with the help of a bit of technology. Wake-up light alarm clocks will ease you into the day by gradually brightening during a 30-minute ‘sunrise’ so when you open your eyes you feel awake and refreshed. These are often recommended for people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Another popular method is mindfulness, a form of meditation where you concentrate on your surroundings and being in the present moment.

It’s said that meditating for just 10 minutes each morning and evening can help get you ready for your day, or help you to wind down and switch your brain off at night.

Try a digital detox and escape social media for a week or fortnight, you may find you don’t even miss those constant updates.

Finally, as well as looking forward to the year ahead, don’t forget to spend some time reflecting on the year that has just gone – celebrate what went well and focus on your successes. Print out photographs from happy memories throughout the year and hang them around your home. This will help you feel more positive about the 12 months ahead.