The New Year brings happiness and new hopes for all of us, but do you ever feel downcast at the beginning of the year? If yes, then you are not alone, as the New Year starts with the gloomiest month that brings January blues, and like you, I also suffer every year.
The New Year brings happiness and new hopes for all of us, but do you ever feel downcast at the beginning of the year? If yes, then you are not alone, as the New Year starts with the gloomiest month that brings January blues, and like you, I also suffer every year. I always think about, why like many people, I do face January blues.
After spending many years thinking about it, I concluded that it all starts as we spend our holidays having so much fun, Christmas Eve with family and friends, get-togethers, and parties, when the whole festive period has gone we feel lonely and miserable. So we can’t deny the reality that the start of a new year can be sad and feel gloomy and stressful instead of enthusiastic about new beginnings.
Some people face January blues like me, which get them down, but it’s not about any specific month when we feel anxious or low-spirited. It is a seasonal change that affects us that creates January blues called (SAD) Here I want to tell you about SAD:
SAD Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern, sometimes known as "winter depression" because the symptoms are usually more apparent and more severe during the winter.
Got it! I hope my readers understand what January blues is and why it starts with the New Year. Remember, when you feel the symptoms that got you down, try to recognize this is normal. As I have always been a victim of the seasonal changes that affected me, I feel depressed without any reason, assumption causing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
But fortunately, I am the one who always succeeded in beating the January blues, I never stuck in it as I always try to find out the activities that can beat the seasonal depression, and believe me, it works when you make yourself busy in the activities you love. But the good thing is, you can manage your SAD “January blues” by finding some effectual and productive activities such as:
Find A Good Book To Read
To Read Reading a good book is a mindful activity to beat the January blues. I always prefer a good book to read when seasonal changes get me down, and this activity is beneficial if you believe that nothing is more soothing and effective than reading a great book written by a great author. There are a lot of great books you can choose from according to your interest. I mostly prefer books that motivate me, here I am going to recommend some great books I love to read:
Lost Connection By Johann Hari
Welcome Home By Najwa Zebian
12 Rules Of Life by Jordan B Peterson
Why Has Nobody Told Me Before By Dr. Julie
The Body Keeps The Score By Bessel Van
The last book is my favorite one, but you can choose according to your interest to keep yourself busy in a mindful activity.
Write Down Your Goals
One of the most impassion activities I have found is writing down my goals in a journal or notebook. It works, and you start to feel more active and passionate about achieving your goals as I do. I prefer to make a journal or a notebook to write down my daily goals, whether short-term or long-term goals they are. You can also write down the things that seem difficult to do, this way you can take difficult things as challenges. Writing down your goals and reading them daily, motivate you and give you the courage to be active and passionate to achieve your goals as I do.
Find An Interactive Activity To Be Productive
Finding DIY ideas and doing them, such as painting, drawing, framing, and other kinds of activities, are among the best ideas to beat the January blues. I love gardening, planting, hanging them from the ceiling, and gardening-related activities. I mostly spend my free time among plants as I am a lover of plants, and this is one of the most loving activities I ever do. Having lots of plants in your garden not only keep you busy in a mindful activity but also spread positive energy and happiness around you as I experienced. I highly recommend you find time for planting, you may never feel lonely as they also breathe like us so one of the best ideas to beat the January blues.
Exercise To Keep Yourself Active
Consider your physical and mental health through daily exercise, and find time to exercise for at least 30 minutes. You couldn`t find the best idea than this if you are stuck in January blues. Know that exercise not only keeps you healthy and active but is also helpful in stimulating your mental health. My personal experience says a lot about exercise, daily exercising is as good for mental health as for physical health, I try to keep myself busy with exercise whenever I feel distressed, and believe me, all my worries go like never happened before. For beating the January blues, exercise is one of the best ideas that keep you healthy and active.
These all are the activities that can beat the January blues each one has something to motivate you that makes you productive. My favorite one is exercise when I faced a problem with depression and anxiety because I gained weight and suffered from obesity, I did exercise a lot but still felt demotivated, causing more tension and discouragement.
I have always been a foodie as I mentioned in my other articles, I love food and never control myself when seeing my favorite food, but this leaves a negative impact on my body. If you are interested to read my story then continue reading to know how I beat the January blues by beating overweight.
My Story
Two years before, when I got January blues, I was too much-depressed not only because of a seasonal change but also because of changes in my body, I gained weight that changed my whole body, and I felt ashamed.
Too much eating always harms your health, most of us know that if we consume more calories than burn, it may cause us to become overweight or cause obesity right? But still, we eat and eat and eat because we love eating and see ourselves outsized without realizing that obesity can cause depression and anxiety.
Obesity Can Cause Depression
Yes, this is true that obesity can cause depression, and it can bring a risk factor for depression, and I am afraid to say that especially in women obesity causes tension and depression. Depression and anxiety can both be associated with overeating, why? Because women are more conscious about their figure and body.
Because they want to look beautiful whether they are young or old and being a woman I am also conscious of how I look, I feel depressed and anxious if I see myself gaining weight. I faced this obesity issue that got January blues, the past two years felt demotivated to fit my body as I used to take unhealthy food and overeat.
Why causing January blues? Because of Christmas and the Holidays when I enjoyed eating mouthwatering foods and unhealthy meals at parties. I tried dieting plans, medicines, remedies, and exercising but still felt demotivated because nothing worked on my body as I wanted.
I felt disconsolate and miserable wherever I went with disfigured body and shaming until I found Exante on the internet and believe me it changed my whole life with my body. One of the most friendly and mindful ways to lose weight is by Exante, which is enough for all your nutrition goals and healthy weight.
What does Exante Provide?
Supported me and gave me the courage and newfound confidence to lose weight in a healthy way. It helps many people around the world to kickstart their journey to reveal a new version of their selves as they are here to support people that lost hope to reshape their bodies in a healthy way. But not any more depression, anxiety, and even obesity because I am going to prefer you Extane you can enjoy the range of meals, shakes, and snacks to lose weight in a healthy way.
They are providing a complete range of meal replacement products and easy-to-follow box plans for people who are looking to make some big changes, they have everything you need to start your weight-loss journey. You can find a range of healthy snacks if you are craving snacks like me, and you can switch up your eating habits with them. I found a perfect place that motivated me to eat healthily and helped me to feel good inside and out, I am pretty sure that my suggestion can be beneficial for you too if you also want to reshape by changing your eating habits in healthy ways.
Nothing is more worthy than living a healthy life and healthy life comes from adopting healthy habits whether eating, sleeping, or other activities, I always give priority to adopting healthy habits whether I want to beat the January blues or going to give you clues for losing weight. My article will help many people who suffer from anxiety or depression and want to motivate to find ways for living a purposeful life.