It’s that time of year again-Blue Monday has come and gone, the prosecco bought for New Years has been cleared and the resolutions have been made.
And yet you may still be feeling a bit under the weather in terms of your overall mood. Don’t worry about it though, as we’ve listed a few ideas to kickstart your 2022 and get rid of the January Blues.
Why not give some a go?
Exercise and meditation
Some of you may be internally groaning at this one, especially as it’s one of the most popular New Years resolutions out there. But scientific evidence is there to suggest that it’s proven to boost endorphins and boost our mood.
It doesn’t even have to be an intense ab shredding workout every day for two weeks, it can be as simple as going for a walk-in nature. If a more mind and body orientated workout is what you’re looking for, I have enjoyed ‘Yoga with Adriene’s’ free practices on Youtube.
Similarly, if you want to try out meditation without committing to a subscription, the Medito app is free to download on the iOS and Google Play stores. It has everything from a 30-day meditation challenge to SOS meditations for stress, anxiety or lifting your mood.
Reading a book
It’s cliché but true- reading really can lift your spirits. In fact, if you’re an avid reader and you want to challenge yourself, it’s never too late to set yourself a goal and start a ‘Reading Challenge’ on Goodreads.
If you want an Amazon alternative, you can do the same thing on the StoryGraph app, or even try listening to fifteen-minute book summaries on the Blinkist app using their seven-day free trial. There are multiple other options too, all that can be found at the touch of a button.
Gratitude journal
Believe me, I was also skeptical of this one until I was kindly gifted one for Christmas. There are plenty of cheap ones that you can find online and even more free digital templates that you can choose from.
If you can afford it, ‘The Head Plan’ have a beautiful Gratitude Journal for €25-with plenty of pages so you can slowly build up a habit of writing daily affirmations each morning. It also allows you to make short lists of things you’re grateful for, and to reflect on the day.
If digital is more your style, ‘The Planner Manor’ on Etsy has a PDF template and printables available to download from just €3
Healthy eating
Again, another dreaded phrase we all hate. It simply means to be more mindful of the food you’re eating and making an extra effort to squeeze in those five a day.
You can still absolutely treat yourself to that slice of pizza or that chocolate bar if you feel you need it, but also increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables (especially green leafy ones) might help you feel less sluggish and increase energy levels.
Positive news stories
We are all guilty of consuming too much media nowadays. Using the ‘Screen Time’ option on an iPhone could be an idea to lock your apps after a certain time if you need to get focused or get a good night’s sleep.
However, if you’re finding Covid-related news on your feeds to be a bit too much, you can always check out some accounts that focus on feel-good news stories.
On Instagram, you can follow @goodnews_movement and @Upworthy for non-political stories that focus solely on good things happening in the world right now. It’s always good to be informed, but also good to see something to put a smile on your face.
