Some consider January to be the worst month of the year. I have heard it called the January Blues, and how can we not be blue? There is a big lead up to the changing of the calendar with many reasons to celebrate;
we eat and drink way too much, we spend way too much on gifts, in normal times, our calendars are packed with parties, and then after New Year’s Day there’s nothing, nada, zilch, a true blank slate. The decorations come down, and all we have left are the resolutions we made December 31st, though by the end of the month most of us will break them. January even has a day called Blue Monday! The month pretty much does it to itself.
To top it all off there is now a thing called Dry January. As a matter of fact, the concept has a small following. Recent studies have shown that our new normal has driven us to drink more; people reported drinking about fourteen percent more often last year! Can we really be surprised; we work where we eat and sleep and our social interaction has been reduced, not to mention the increased levels of stress we’re experiencing. We need to do something to destress, something just for ourselves.
Maybe Dry January is not so bad. Most years I usually take a month off from drinking. It has nothing to do with Dry January, this is something I usually do for myself. I tend to find a month where I don’t have to travel or have many evenings out scheduled and usually make that my dry month. This year it happens to be January.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to tell you to participate in Dry January if that’s not your thing. I am suggesting that you consider the concept of doing something nice for yourself; some self-care, something just for you. Make a point to set aside time to get some exercise, meditate, read that book you’ve been meaning to, or start saving for an epic vacation when all this is over and it’s safe to travel again. Make a plan, set some goals and give yourself something to look forward to. What I am suggesting is that you be kind to yourself.
What do you plan on doing to get through the January Blues? Let me know, I may need an idea for February!
What I’ll be looking forward to is sharing a drink with friends come February 1st ?. Want to join me?
“Do something good for yourself today. You matter.”– Virginia Madsen
Have a great weekend.
-Vijay