7 ways To Beat The January Blues
1. Exercise
What you do isn’t nearly as important as actually doing it.
Walk, run or dance your way to an almost instant boost in happiness while also making your heart, muscles and bones stronger. Good vibes guaranteed.
2. Plan
January leaves many of us not knowing what day of the week it is and craving a bit of order.
Get yourself a pen and paper and write yourself a schedule. Keep it flexible and include everything from exercise goals to weekend plans and feel fully back in control of your life.
3. Interact
It’s easy to shut yourself away now the music has stopped and the wine has dried up. But interacting with others - who are probably feeling just as enthusiastic about the new year as you are - can be a great way to banish the blues.
Go for a coffee, walk, run - whatever - just realise the social side of you doesn’t have to hibernate for the rest of winter.
4. Get Out The House
Shorter days and longer nights mean you’re almost certainly getting less sunlight than any other time of the year. This can have a negative impact on your mood so try and get outside whenever possible.
Go for a walk at lunch instead of sitting in or swap one of your gym workouts for some outdoor fun - it all adds up.
5. Cut Out The Junk
What we eat and drink can have a huge impact on our mental health. The excess alcohol and sugar rushes courtesy of Xmas may have improved your mood in the very short term but it’s all down hill shortly after.
Simply reduce your booze and chocolate intake and watch your mood level out on no time.
6. Recognise The Postitive
It’s easy to focus on the negatives when you’re feeling a little down in the dumps so let’s make a list of all your greatest achievements to remind you how awesome you are.
Big ones, such as work promotions should sit side-by-side with less obvious but still worthy accomplishments like cutting down on sugar or remembering your nan’s birthday.
7. Say ‘No’
After saying ‘yes’ to everything from Xmas parties, get togethers and extra puddings, now may be the right time to say ‘no’.
Be a little selfish and only do the things you want to do for you - things that will make you smile, laugh or generally feel amazing.
About the author: Ronny Terry is a personal trainer at Kiss Gyms Swindon. You can view his profile HERE
Kiss Gyms are Helping Members Beat the Blues with Red January
Red January is a movement designed to help support people's mental health through what many find to be a difficult month, by encouraging people to challenge themselves to do some physical activity, each day, through the whole month of January.
Kiss Gyms are sweetening the deal, by giving all members who take part a free month at the gym for completing their personal challenge.
What's more is you can sign up on the Red January website and help raise money for Mind which is a charity that provides support for mental health in association with the NHS, so you can help yourself, whilst you're helping others!