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Christmas is over and the streamers from the New Year’s party are all in the bin. You’re packing away the decorations and getting ready to go back to work. With the highlights of the winter’s calendar done and dusted, and many more weeks of cold days and dark nights to endure, it can be all too easy to start feeling a little gloomy at this time of year.
But you don’t have to let the ‘January blues’ spoil the start of your new year. With a bit of forward planning and creative thinking, you can turn your frown upside down and start feeling more like yourself again.
Lift your mood and energy levels
After all the fun and excitement of the festive season, January can seem like a pretty dull follow up. As much as you may not feel like it, getting off the sofa and out and about can do wonders for lifting your mood and energy levels.
Exercise
Taking regular exercise can not only help raise your energy levels and boost your immune system, it can also lift your mood with an extra input of endorphins guaranteed to make you smile.
Be sociable
You’ve been around friends and family for most of December, but suddenly your social calendar has run dry. Beat your gloom by arranging a night out with friends, or inviting family over for dinner once a week.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is a combination of yoga, breathing techniques and meditation and has been scientifically proven to improve your mood. Courses are available nationwide, and you can even get a prescription from your GP to make it more affordable.
Be nice to yourself
If you overindulged during the festive season, you might, like many of the population, be feeling slightly disgusted with yourself. Don’t beat yourself up though. Shedding those extra pounds and repairing the damage the drinking has done is all achievable, but not overnight.
Bolster your immune system
Nothing is guaranteed to add to the winter blues more than developing a stinking cold. Remember, your immune system needs as much support as your energy levels do at this time of year, so focus on what you put into your body to keep feeling well.
Boost your vitamin D intake
All these dark nights and short days can leave your body craving a dose of vitamin D, so focus on increasing your intake of this essential ingredient. The sun is the absolute best source of vitamin D, but with many of us trapped in offices all week long, getting out in the rare blast of sunshine can be tough. In this situation, take a supplement such as cod liver oil to boost your intake. Foods such as egg yolks, fatty fish and some mushrooms also have helpful amounts of vitamin D, so include these in your diet as often as possible.
Drink herbal teas
There is lots of evidence that green tea and chamomile tea can help your immune system stay strong, as both are loaded up with powerful antioxidants. Chamomile is also a perfectly soothing drink, helping you create a sense of calm and clarity even when all around you seems like chaos. If you find herbal tea too bitter, add a spoonful of raw honey which has immune boosting properties of its own. Alternatively, try one of the blends available at Pukka herbal tea, such as their Chamomile, Vanilla and Manuka Honey blend, which has to be the ultimate winter warmer.
Love your fish and nuts
Getting lots of good oils and fatty acids is essential to staying well in winter, and omega 3 is one such ingredient to help keep the flu away. Not only that, but omega 3 fatty acids have been proven to block chemicals known as cytokines which are the culprits of a low mood. Focus on oily fish, seeds, nuts and flaxseed oil to keep yourself well and happy.
However you choose to get through winter, remember spring is just around the corner. Winter affects some people more than others, so if you do feel the blues are getting out of control, don’t be afraid to ask for help. To get the necessary vitamins and minerals you need to beat the January Blues to help you keep going and fighting the battle then check out the Nutrition Centre HERE.
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