January Blahs

One week from today will be February 1st and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more ready to say GOODBYE to January. I generally lament how quickly time passes, marveling at how it’s (insert date) already. But this month is draggggggging.

I feel like I’m doing all the typical things that improve my mood and outlook: journaling and sitting with my feelings, skin care and flossing and making my bed, cutting back on alcohol after the indulgent month of December, I’m even moving my body more than I have in a while. I’ve socialized and had a little getaway and watched some good movies. And yet I still feel like I’m in a funk. I wake up in the morning and think, gah, here we go, another day of doing the same things.

I tell you all this not because I want pity or sympathy but because you are my community and if I’m feeling this way I can’t help but wonder if you are, too. And I wonder what things you do to combat a seasonal funk.

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. I’ve seen this a couple times on the interwebs in recent days… and it feels SO TRUE:

    Thirty days has September,
    April, June and November.
    All the rest have thirty-one,
    except February alone:
    that has twenty-eight days clear,
    but twenty-nine on each leap year.
    And January, which has a thousand.

    May these days get brighter, lighter, and with a flower or two! XO

  2. Early morning sunlight. I try to find at least a few minutes to be squinting into the sunrise each day this time of year. Have your coffee, make a list, read, knit in that early sunshine, 20 minutes is ideal. I also try to eat healthy foods that remind me of summer. Throw on a headlamp and grill something for dinner. Vacation at home one evening by having Mexican food for dinner, throw on some salsa music, and pull on a vacation shirt. You’ll be reliving your trips to Mexico and maybe be inspired to plan a vacation somewhere warm. My last trick is to pause and notice the sunset is a little later each day. Hang in there.

  3. I am right there with you, Carole. Will this gloom never end? We had 10 days of artic weather, 6 days of boil water notices, and absolutely no sunshine this month. While I know how fortunate I am, all of this begins to create a real pall over the days. I am going to double down on movement and get out my SAD light and see if that helps. Chin up! We are all in this together, and spring will come, even if it is not as quickly as we like. Maybe you need to knit something really colorful to remind you.

  4. I feel much the same, and I’m trying not to dread February because it often feels even longer to me. It’s kind of a silly thing, but I’m re-watching The West Wing in the evening. I look forward to sitting down with a mug of peppermint tea, my knitting, and escaping to a world where the president is intelligent and almost everyone in the White House cares about the job they are doing. It’s a lovely world even if it is a fantasy!

  6. Yesterday I bought bright yellow tulips at Trader Joe’s to cheer up the kitchen. Fletch uses a SAD light. I’m not as impacted as others by this time of year, but occasionally I can get the blahs. Vitamin D (as someone already mentioned) is helpful. Time outside – particularly if you get a day with SUN (we have not had that for a little while). Time for me this year is racing…trying to train two individuals to take over my job and knowing I’m retiring (YAY) at the end of February. There is SO MUCH I need to do between now and then (personally AND professionally).

  7. It’s been a tough month to get through! I don’t mind the cold as much as I mind the endless gray days. I miss the sunshine! When I was checking out some library books the other day the woman checking me out said “You should have plenty of time to finish these, they aren’t due until Feb. 6 and January is about 700,031 days long this year.” Bring on the sun!

  8. Sorry, Carole . . . but I feel this was ALL THE WAY THROUGH FEBRUARY. It just slogs on and on and on. I have no solutions . . . although I highly recommend visiting any nurseries or plant conservatories that might be open in your area. Plan your garden. Set up a garden journal for the upcoming season. Have a massage. Do a spa day (at home or at an actual spa) with a friend or with Hannah or by yourself. Bake something complicated. Paint your nails a crazy color. I look for ANYthing to distract me from the fact that winter is SO freakin’ loooooong!!!! (Good luck.)

  9. I hear ya! I’ve realized these past two weeks (last week = COLD and this week = RAIN) how much I rely on getting outside for walks with Lucy to keep my mind and spirit “fresh”. Marc was out of town Sunday-Wednesday this week and I gave myself permission to play … I made messes and didn’t tidy, didn’t follow much of a schedule, went down some rabbit holes about books and knitting … and today, it’s still raining, I tidied, and I’m thinking I might be ready to tackle some of the things I’ve been putting off. I have no idea if the playtime helped or it was just time to move on … or maybe a little of both. In any event, wishing you a good last few days of January. (and hoping February is ok, because it’s longer this year!)

  10. This is precisely why I hate January! It’s long and cold and dreary, and there’s really nothing about it to look forward to. But next month has chocolate!!!

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