The January Blues are alive and kicking. Still harbouring resentment for their more famous cousin, Christmas, the Blues have waited for their time in the spotlight, and it’s now. Enter stage left.
Sliding through the curtain each year when the thought of a mince pie seems like something you’d just absolutely never do again thanks very much, the January Blues are not a new phenomenon.
In fact, Blue Monday, AKA “the most depressing day of the year” and not the New Order classic, was a marketing tactic created by Sky Travel in 2005.
It’s easy to view January as a ‘just get through it’ month when it comes to your wellbeing, and we understand. A month to survive but not always thrive.
You may be back in the office, convincing yourself that it’s good to be back in a routine (in comparison to last week’s routine of Miniature Heroes at 10am and a cheese board at 2pm). Or working from home, wrestling with the dilemma of whether to splash out and put the heating on.
The purpose of this post is not to give out complex mental health advice (we’ll leave that to the professionals), but to instead share the quick tips we’ve learned to alleviate some of the January Blues and give your wellbeing a boost.
The battle against the cold
A dearth of sunlight and Vitamin D is part-responsible for the January Blues. When we don’t get enough of these things, it affects us in a negative way. By embracing the cold and getting outdoors, we can counteract that.
It’s not ground-breaking news that exercise helps reduce stress whilst also releasing endorphins, which boost happiness. And the exercise we speak of doesn’t need to be strenuous fresh water swimming or an hour of Crossfit.
A brisk lunchtime walk or an afternoon in a park at the weekend is enough. In fact, anything that exposes you to natural light and gets the heart rate up can do the trick.
The social media refresh
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “comparison is the thief of joy”, and social media would not be invented for at least another 100 years after this quote.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to cull your social media feed and ditch those followed accounts that you don’t get any joy from. If that means disconnecting with a particular influencer or just your cousin Simon (who never stops talking about cryptocurrency and his expensive watch collection), then hit the mute button.
Instead, populate your feed with more of your interests and the things that inspire you. To start off, here are three interesting Instagram accounts we like, to replace those you’ve gotten rid of.
Nasa – Selfies of our planet showing its best angles, along with other content from outer space.
Recess Therapy – Conversations with kids. Its videos have gone viral on multiple occasions because interviewees are free thinkers who challenge the norm. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Humans of New York – The stories behind the faces of New York. Some inspirational, some funny, some weird, but never boring.
The new playlist
Music is scientifically proven to lift our mood, reduce stress and improve the body’s immune system. There’s also no better time for a new playlist than the start of the year.
Dr Jacob Jolij, a researcher in cognitive neuroscience, went one step further when delving into music and its effect on us, developing a formula that judges the ability of a song to increase your mood.
Here are five from his list:
- Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Uptown Girl – Billie Joel
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
And two extras (not-scientifically proven) from this post’s author, for good measure:
- Loud Places – Jamie xx, Romy
- Here Comes Your Man – Pixies
With that, we hope these tools are effective in making your January just a little bit easier. To keep up with all things Cairn (and to help us feel wanted in January), follow us across our social media channels.
If you’d like to talk to us about your particular brand challenges, please get in touch.
References:
https://www.cygnethealth.co.uk/blog/how-to-beat-the-january-blues-as-we-approach-blue-monday/
